Memories of Brighter Days
by Lushard
Summary: 2 years after the Ark Project has been put to an end, the Gods Eaters continue their lives as the last protectors of humanity. But when a mission costs the life of the 1st Unit Leader, what will await Alisa as her past once again haunts her future? A fanfictional bridge from GEB to GE2. Contains elements from GE2 & 2ndBreak official manga. Chapter 23: Lost Time.
1. Prologue

___**Author's Note** : __This fanfiction is meant as a bridge from GEB to GE2, which means that the time frame of this fanfiction is set _after _the 2nd Break storyline. _

_**Additional Note** :The Cover for this fanfiction is uploaded on my dA account as listed in my Profile._

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A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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**Prologue - Memories**

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12 – 08 – 2075 / 23:02:11

Rain.

It was raining again.

Alisa stared blankly at the scene from her room.

A year had passed since that incident had occured. Yes, a year ago, she had been there, celebrating his birthday, and much later on the day, grieving his death. Clenching her fists in anger and frustation, the young woman walked away from the window and stopped before the door that led to the hallway.

No, training would only be an excuse to run away from her darkness. He had told her that once.

"_Training in that shape would not give you anything but more pain," _she remembered his voice ringing in her head, clear as a sun in a cloudless sky.

_Don't run away from your anger. Don't bottle it. Yet never leash it out blindly..._

A tear escaped from her eyes. _I've tried,_ she bitterly thought. _I've tried. _But the hole only deepened whenever she tried to cope with the darkness within.

Exactly a year ago, she remembered how she had cried over his cold body. It had been raining like this; and minutes before they'd departed on a suddenly-given mission, she had already sensed some bad omen would befall them as the rain poured heavily over the barren earth.

"_You're worrying too much," _he'd told her simply when she had voiced her concern over the sudden call. His deep green eyes had reflected her own troubled face.

Although it turned out that her worries had proven to be true, the memory of their last conversation was the most torturing one for her. There were so many regrets of what she could have done at that time, like preventing him to go or asking the Director to switch members. But no matter how she regretted of not using the chance, reality would never grant her wish; for she could not possibly rewind the flow of time.

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12 - 08 – 2074 / 14:24:23

"You're worrying too much."

Alisa was about to talk back, but he was quicker to say, "Nothing will happen. We have gone on this kind of mission several times, now, haven't we? And are we dead?"

"No," she answered, admitting loss. As far as Alisa could remember, she had never won a debate against him. Never, even once. "But—"

The young man pulled her close and succumbed his head into the crook of her neck, his nose buried in her whitish blonde hair. "I'm still breathing, aren't I?" His voice was not any louder than a whisper.

"Ray, I—"

The elevator stopped moving and the door opened. Ray let her go and smiled. He was now a head taller than Alisa, reminding her of how much time had passed since their first meeting. She had been almost of the same height to him two years ago, but now, she should literally look up to meet his gaze whenever they were in such proximity.

The two walked out from the elevator and headed straight to his room. Alisa followed him and closed the door after they were inside.

"Three hours of preparation will be enough for now," he said as he unbuttoned his uniform. "You must be still exhausted from yesterday too, aren't you? I haven't had the time to ask, but how was your homeland?"

Alisa sat on the sofa and grabbed a canned soda from a nearby table. "Nothing much." She had just arrived from Russia yesterday after what seemed to be a very long two months being away from her friends in the Far East Branch. "The HQ there is still being reconstructed after suffering some serious damage done by the Aragami, but everything seemed to go smoothly. Some New-Types have joined the ranks as well."

Ray changed into a dark long sleeved shirt and sat beside Alisa. "I wonder if this Aragami we've been assigned to slay is also a new breed. Like those of the Hannibals..."

"And that's why I'm against this mission," she said in a stern voice. "We haven't even received any proper information of the Aragami, so why should they send in battle members to engage it this fast?"

"Why, of course we'd be the first team to bring back such information," he calmly replied.

She stretched out her hand and placed it on his cheek, gently making his face to look directly at her. "Listen, I know it may be stupid to rely on hunches and senses, but I seriously dread this mission. There's a possibility that this Aragami is one of those newly evolved ones being constantly reported by the squads, and going against it in such a hurry usually proves to be fatal."

Ray stared for the longest time before replying, "Then think of it this way: the longer we delay, the higher the probability of this unidentified Aragami—the one you think as being dangerous, in a sense—to cause more damage on, who knows what sector. You've heard of reports saying what mere low-level Aragami that managed to pass through a sector's barrier could have done." He paused and his gaze softened. "People die each day, Alisa. And the sooner we rid of those monsters, the more lives will be saved."

When Alisa did not reply, Ray smiled and placed his hand above hers, pressing it against his cheek. "We will be fine. Soma and Lindow are used to this kind of job, and so are we. And besides, they'll send two squads. So please don't ruin the day by negative thoughts. I still want to enjoy every second of this day, you know," he playfully added.

Inhaling deeply, she let out a chuckle. "All right, fine. You win, Mr. Stubborn."

"Look who's talking." Ray lay down and placed his head on her lap, letting her hand slipping through his chesnut hair. He fought down a yawn. "The party exhausted me—I'll be taking a nap. Do you want to go back to your room now?"

"No. I'll remain here." That statement earned her a thankful smile, and before the young man succumbed into the realm of dreams, she softly whispered, "Rest well. And happy 18th birthday."

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_**A/N : **It's been quite a while since I last updated on GE 2's new information. After seing their concepts and designs for the new game, I chose to write this fic._

___Oh, and also, Alisa's drastic change of personality from GEB in this fic is in tune with the official manga: Gods Eater - the 2nd Break. _

___I feel that I do no longer require to list the facts about her (which are extracted from the manga) since Mr. Google can provide curious souls with enough information. PMs regarding the manga are welcome though._


	2. Chapter 1: A Rainy Night

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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******Chapter 1**

******A Rainy Night**

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12 - 08 – 2074 / 16:23:08

_It has been raining quite heavily these past few days_, mused Alisa as she tapped a button to change the image shown on the screen.

The room was getting darker and darker, so she opted to light the lamp, but then hesitated when she saw the young man who was still laying motionlessly on the sofa. _There's still time_, she thought. He needed to rest, especially since they were about to depart on a sudden mission that had been thrown upon their shoulders a moment ago.

Sighing, she walked closer to where Ray was resting and bent on her knees, one hand moving to caress his cheek, sweeping his bangs aside from his placid face. Two years ago, he hadn't been anywhere near the type that anyone would bow to with respect or awe. He had been a mere boy back then; a rookie who'd happened to join Fenrir around the same time she herself had gotten transported to the Far East Branch from Russia.

They had been practically kids, trying to defend humanity with the power of their very nemesis, the hideous monsters known as Aragami. But so much had happened it felt like her first year in the Den was more than five years ago. A series of events had come striking down: Lindow Amamiya's sacrifice, her being confined because of the unstable state of her mentality, the Resonance between her and Ray that had been caused by their New-Type powers and DNA, Shio's appearance and departure, Director Schicksal's schemes, and finally, Lindow's return to the Den.

Somewhere within her heart, she still blamed herself of the misfortune that had befallen them. It had been her fault that Lindow, the former Den's assault leader, had been considered M.I.A. Although they had been able to track him down through Ray's Resonance effect with Lindow's God Arc and everyone's effort, sometimes, she could still feel the tightening grip of regret whenever she remembered the day when she had almost shot Lindow down.

It was true that her action back then had been orchestrated by Director Schicksal, who had been using her quest of vengence against a certain Aragami that had killed her parents to brainwash her: by replacing the Aragami's image by Lindow's so she would shoot him instead of the monster whenever the Aragami was in her sight. But still, for whatever reason, her action was something she could never atone for.

She smiled bitterly at the reminiscence. If it hadn't been for _him_, she would surely have lost to her own madness by now.

"_No one is able to atone for one's own sin_," Alisa remembered Ray saying when she'd been confined in bed after the Lindow's M.I.A status had been officially announced.

It was him who had told her then to rely more on others and to look more for opportunities to do something for those around her rather than contemplating about the past.

Ray, who had only been sixteen at that time, had already been made the Den's official field leader. His calm and rational persona had seemed to have gained the higher ups' attention, not to mention that he was also a New-Type God Eater who'd shown a remarkable strength and strategy in battle. He was a gentle person to begin with, but through his appointment as a leader, he had grown far more mature beyond his years.

Alisa hadn't doubted his abilities and leadership, nor had been anyone in the Den: for they knew Fenrir never looked on someone's age when they were considering promotions. As long as candidates were considered good enough to fit whatever role that needed to be filled, they would surely not hesitate to raise their rank.

But of course not everything had come out smoothly. She remembered how troubled Ray had been when he had to lead everyone in the Den. Even after he'd gotten used to the role, he would still voice his doubts over his own decisions and leadership skills, more so whenever some casualties were reported in. He had never showed any sign of hesitation nor doubts in front of his underlings, but in his own room, he was just... himself: a young man who had been forced to grow mature far too early; a boy who often questioned how this world really functions.

But two years had passed since then. Now, he was a much more confident person, no more a young leader hiding behind his mask of calmness and assurance.

Alisa got up and cast a glance at two framed photos sitting on a desk nearby. The first photo, she remembered, was taken briefly after Lindow had been brought back to the Den—well, to be exact, it had been taken right on his wedding party. Sakuya—the bride—looked at her prettiest with a white wedding dress. The younger version of Kota, Soma, Ray and herself were also there.

Beside the first photograph, there sat a picture of only her and Ray together, which had been taken just before her departure to Russia two months ago. She smiled when she noticed just how much they had changed in just two years. Not just in term appearances, of course.

A movement on the sofa caused a creak and Alisa turned to see a half-sitting Ray shaking his head, dimissing sleepiness away. "You're awake," she said.

He produced a grumbling sound before saying, "How long have I been alseep?"

"Almost ninety minutes."

Getting up, Ray walked over to the window and stared absently at the scenery behind the glass. It was actually a monitor, representing whatever image set to be displayed on its screen since Fenrir's HQ was located underground. "It's raining again," he muttered, more to himself.

"We should get prepared," Alisa reminded him as she grabbed his jacket and gave it to him.

He gave a curt nod, though still unmoving from where he stood. "Yeah."

Alisa knew that he was probably thinking of battle tactics and strategy for the upcoming mission, for such was his role and habit. He was a silent observer and a quick learner, yet deep down, there were always fears of failure that remained still. It was all visible and quite plain to see in here, in his own room where he did not have to shoulder the heavy responsibility and image of a leader worthy of the trust of all the people in the Den.

Squeezing his hand gently, Alisa mustered a reassuring smile. Ray studied her face for a while and then said, "You're still against the mission," which was not a question.

"I am," she acknowledged, despreately trying not to let her voice be colored by hesitation or anxiety. "This mission is still too sudden. Even in the past, there were scouting teams sent in first to at least gather some appropriate info about any new Aragami found lurking around. And in my opinion, sending two battle teams before them is a reckless movement. Hasty, even."

Ray waited and simply stared at her, so she continued. "If I were in a position to complain to the higher ups, I'd have already done so the minute we received this unreasonable task. But you're the Leader, and I trust in your decision. If you say you'll go, than as a member of the First Unit, I will go with you."

There was a long pause when the two of them stayed mute for some seconds. But then Ray shook his head and broke his hand free of hers, walking past her towards the door and stopped midway.

"It is very cruel of me to say this, Alisa: but an Aragami _is _an Aragami. The very species that have taken many lives is lurking out there, posing yet another threat unknown. This new type monster was first confirmed by the Director a day ago when he'd summoned me to discuss things about the evolution of their species, and by an incomplete analysis alone, it poses a threat in a comparable rate to that of a Hannibal."

He turned to see his companion and fixed his gaze at her in the dim light. "There's no time to send in more scouts as for now, lest we want more casualties. You, of all people, should know the pain of losing people dear to you because of this," he added in a low voice.

Alisa stayed silent, her gaze falling to the ground as she absently let her mind wander back behind the closed doors of her past. She was the sole survivor and witness to her parents' death by an Aragami that had been considered a new evolved one four years ago. And it had also been for the sake of hunting down the very Aragami that she'd agreed to be Fenrir's new type test subject. It was not a pleasant memory, with blood blurring her vision and her own parents' screaming voice.

One hand moved to cover her face, fingers pressing rubbing lightly against closed eyes. "I know I'm just being anxious and selfish," she breathed, "and I am sorry. I don't wish to burden you more with my uneasyness. Please, don't mind me."

Ray approached her and touched her shoulder. "It will be fine. This mission will end like any other previous ones we've succeeded in carrying out."

Lifting up her face to meet his, she gave a nod. "Yes. Let's not keep the Director waiting now."

The two of them then went off to the Director's office and met two of their comrades in arms halfway there. Exchanging glances and nods, they came into Sakaki's office.

Sakaki Paylor's room was in a mess, as it usually was. Alisa, Ray, Soma and Kota were standing on some papers scattered all around the floor, and neither of them cared. The Japanese fixed his glasses and typed something on his computer board after greeting them sleepily, producing a bad quality image on a monitor nearby.

"Look at this," he said as he clicked a button to zoom in. "This is the new Aragami that was spotted two days ago. It was last seen around the third residental sector."

The blurry and dark image, although hard to recognize, still had some visible traits of a giant monster in shape of what seemed to be a wolf with three tails. "I'm sorry for the quality of the image, but this is the best picture of the beast that we currently have right now," Sakaki apologized. "As you have already heard, this new type Aragami is similar to the Hannibal in terms of speed and strength. And by reports, it is usually only out hunting on rainy nights, which is why we cannot let this oportunity to be wasted."

Soma snorted. "So that's why the higher ups are so eager, huh?"

"It is an opportunity one cannot let pass," Sakaki nodded an affirmative nod. "But furthermore, since the monster is currently hunting on a field not so far from the Outer Ghetto, there's not much time for us to make a move were it to be alerted on the residental area's scent of humans."

"Then let us depart!" bolted Kota. He was, as Alisa remembered it well, always behaved like a madman being chased by some ferocious Aragami whenever he heard about some dangers lurking near the Outer Ghetto. She couldn't blame him, for the young Japanese Gods Eaters' mother and sister lived there. Anyone would be dead serious and worried if they knew that their familiy was in danger. "If this wolf thing got to the Ghetto, there's no telling what would become of the people there!"

"Yes, yes, Kota, that is the very reason why we will be sending two teams to engage this threat," said Sakaki calmly. "Ray." He turned his attention towards the New Type. "Your team's order will be to ambush it, while Lindow's team will defend you by long-ranged attacks. The battle tactics, as usual, are entrusted to you. We will have a third team on standby near the Ghetto should you need more reinforcements, and the rest shall be ordered to guard the residental area."

By Ray's expresionless face and silent gaze, Alisa noticed that his serious persona had already taken control, dismissing the features of a much gentler and kinder person locked inside.

"Understood."

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12 – 08 – 2074 / 18:24:29

"Target spotted," said a voice through the intercom.

Nodding, Soma glanced at Ray, awaiting the younger man's orders. "We will move as planned," Ray said without turning to face his comrades, his eyes still focusing on a binocular glued to his face.

"The rain will make this mission a lot more annoying," grunted Kota as he loaded his God Arc with lightning bullets.

The first unit was hiding behind some rubbles of a ruined building. Ray was eyeing the Aragami, which was still busy eating piles of broken walls from the ground several feet below them. Rain hadn't ceased from pouring down, threatening to slow down their movements.

"That damn Aragami is bigger than Hannibal," observed Soma. "But judging from how he moves, it is a little faster than the latter."

"Its tails will be a nuisance were they to be lashed at us," said Alisa. The wolf-like Aragami had finally been able to be seen clearly now: revealing a beast of a size bigger than Hannibal, equipped with clawed feet and sharp fangs, and also three long whip-like-tails which were glowing in purplish light.

Ray put down his binocular and got up to his feet. "Close combatants will be acting as decoys to restrict his movements. Kota and Alisa, you two are to shoot him and change positions continuously. Hopefully, Lindow's party members are already placed on the specified spots. We will surround it."

They all gave a nod, and on Ray's hand signal, Soma and Alisa jumped from the platform while Kota was heading straight to a higher one.

Running while activating their God Arcs, the three of them dispersed, successfully making the beast caught off unaware. But his agility was one they'd not seen before: it leapt while spinning around, lashing its tails downward as its legs carried him far off ground.

"Damn, it's too fast," Soma spat as his giant sword missed its target and hit the ground instead.

Lightning bullets began to rain soon thereafter. Alisa ran closer to the Aragami while dodging its long tails that began moving at its enemies. Ray changed his God Arc into a sniping mode and fired some bullets while running at the monster without decreasing his own speed. But when Alisa managed to finally got closer for a slash, the beast leapt again with a speed of nothing they'd seen, almost sending her flying because of the impact.

Ray changed his God Arc back to a close combat mode, a light blade, and leapt foward, using his weapon to parry the tails. Soma followed suit on the ground.

Recovering quickly, Alisa changed her own weapon into a long range mode and began firing while telling her feet to keep moving: nothing good would be served by standing still in the face of an adversary that was capable on moving this fast. As soon as Soma and Ray were close enough to the beast, a stun grenade exploded close to the Aragami's head. It was Lindow's team, Alisa presumed, who had covered them by beginning an open fire.

Missiles then came down upon the monster, successfully damaging and stunning it for some seconds, buying enough time for Soma and Ray to get closer still and use a Devour Attack on it, tearing off half of its lower body. Blood splashed everywhere as it screamed in agony, its tails moving wildly just when the two assaulters hit the ground. Soma managed to dodged it by moving to the side, and so was Ray. But one of his tails swung right to where Ray had just landed and scratched his left arm.

"Kota!" Alisa shouted as she darted to dodge the blindly lashed attack.

"Roger!" replied him a second after. A beam of green light was shot directly to Ray's arm, closing the wound almost in an instant. It was a healing bullet.

Another round of missiles came in, and Alisa leapt foward to engage the weakened yet enraged Aragami. She moved quickly to its side after dodging its tails and managed to land a hit on one of his front legs. With a roar, the beast almost lost its balance as it leapt clumsily to a higher ground in order to run from the bullets.

"Tch. What a tough guy," Soma said as he dashed to after it.

_Surely this beast is way more dangerous than Hannibals: far more brutal, agile and agressive, that is_, Alisa grimly thought. With its speed and size alone, it was already a dangerous foe, not to mention that it had _tails_ that were capable of crushing metal and walls alike. Now she finally understood why the higher ups wanted this beast to be annihilated as soon as possible; it would pose indeed a greater threat than a swarm of Kongos or Ouroborus if the blood thirsty beast was able to spot the Ghetto—a place full of fresh meat and flesh.

"Aim for its head!" Ray shouted. He changed his weapon into sniping mode again and began firing. Running closer to the target, he used his enhanced speed that still lasted after the Devour Attack to confuse it. "Alisa, cover me!"

Alisa quickly loaded her God Arc with piercing bullets and did as she was told. Soma bashed at the ground beneath the beast and caused it to crack open. Ray used the opening to slid past through its head from below and slashed at its throat as he did so.

"Did it!" screamed Kota as soon as it fell to the rubble beneath the damaged platform. He leapt off from the higher level, swinging his hand to the air in a whoop of joy.

Ray landed on the other side of the platform, sliding on the sticky mud until the impact of his landing stopped, then he stood up.

The Aragami roared in pain and moved wildly in agony without the power to get up to its feet, its tails swinging furiously, and after some seconds, it fell competely silent. Unmoving. Black blood, mixed with the water poured by the black clouds above was spreading wider and wider on the ground.

Alisa let out a sigh of relief. Finally it was dead. The battle had lasted about fifteen minutes, and it was already pretty though to move in a rain like this. How many bullets had they wasted in order to penetrate its tough skin?

Soma approached the corpse and let his God Arc devour it. "It _is _a new breed," he confirmed. He clicked on the intercom attached to his ear. "This is First Unit. We have successfully slained the new Aragami."

Hibari's voice came in. "Great job. Please return to the HQ as soon as—"

A roar suddenly resounded through the area.

A howl, to be exact.

A howl similar to that of a wolf's.

The team quickly switched to battle stance. "On guard, everyone," Ray said through his own intercom, alerting Lindow's unit as well as his own team.

Another howl was heard, and then another of a different pitch. Similar shadows began to emerge from the ruins around them. Two, three, four... There were five Aragami in a shape of a wolf surrounding them.

"More of that thing, huh?" Soma spat irritably.

"So they hunt in groups," Alisa concluded, her hands tightening on her weapon's grip.

She cursed the fact that they were not too far from the Outer Ghetto, a place of men's refuge, which meant that they probably had to _slay_ all those monsters in order to secure the place. If they were to retreat, they'd have to lure them into a place farther away from the Ghetto, and it would be pretty much an impossible task to do since there were _five _of them. Do or die.

She stole a glance at Ray and saw his darkening expression. He had already thought of the same conclusion, it seemed.

"Man, what an awful night," Kota sighed. "I guess its roar alerted those guys, more so the scent of its stinky blood."

One of the giant wolves let out another howl, perhaps a cry of lamentation upon seeing the lifeless body of its kin. "They're going to attack," said Ray when they changed their stance and fixed their red eyes upon them.

"Your order, Ray?" the intercom buzzed. It was Lindow's voice.

"We will divide them into two groups and lure them out of this area while trying to at least shoot half of them down. Send a word to a patrolling squad for more men." Exhaling deeply, he added almost bitterly, "The more the merrier, now, isn't it."

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_**A/N : **The story is finally moving to its first plot. How do you like the battle? I know I'm still quite inexperienced at writing a battle scene, so I need lots of advice, especially regarding the matter._

_Well, please do Review if you're interested._


	3. ReChapter 1: A Moment of Reminiscence

_**A/N : **This chapter is called a Re-Chapter and consists of a story that does not branch from the normal chapters. Chapters like these (yes, there will be more of them) are neccessary in order to put the element of 'Memories' and 'Time' into motion. I'm beginning to dislike flashback scenes in normal chapters, so this idea came up. _

_Re-Chapters are not neccessarily shorter or longer than normal chapters; their length will always be determined by what kind of story it contains. There are, and will be, many important information that can only be found in Re-Chapters, so skipping these is not an option for the story for those who enjoy the plot._

_Now it won't be nice if everything is described in A/N. _

_Enjoy._

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**Re - Chapter 1**

**{ A Moment of Reminiscence }**

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02 - 01 - 2074 / 22:15:08

"Researchers?"

Alisa nodded. "They were," she affirmed.

"In what field?" asked Ray as sipped on his soda.

"Genetics." She tought for a while then added, "DNA and all those stuffs, I guess. I can't really remember them well. I was still a kid back there, and furthermore, after the medical therapy, my memory is kind of a mess. My... last moment with my parents is not exactly a pleasant one to remember, after all." She smiled weakly at her lap, trying to ignore the lump in her throat. "But I guess... maybe... maybe it's better this way."

Staring absently at the scenery engulfed in blackness before them, the two into a comfortable fell silent.

They were sitting on Fenrir's deck—a part of the large HQ that was not located underground. It was a place specifically designed for the Den Dwellers to bathe in the sunlight. They were scheduled to train on the deck twice a week in order to supply their bodily needs with appropriate fulfillments that only could be gained from the sunlight and fresh air. Fortunately for them, when night fell, the deck was not a place many found enthralling since the cold weather was none too friendly in this time of year. Climate change had gone nowhere but getting more and more serious by each passing day, Director Sakaki Paylor once had said.

Alisa and Ray were sitting on one of many benches there, enjoying their private time which could not be attained on a regular basis since their proffession didn't allow them to have much free time.

Their days were consumed by missions, patrolling duties, training rookies, getting medical treatments, and so on. Schedules were particulary tighter and harsher for Ray, who was the Den's field leader. Even when the young man had some free time, he would certainly use it to rest—much to Alisa's demand to keep his health in check above them spending time together. And as a plus, she had to go back to regularly Russia for months to answer the call for more New-Type research and field training for the newbies there. So, basically, they had very little time together in these late two years.

"I'm sorry to bring up such personal matter," he sighed in apology. "I shouldn't have asked."

The Russian shook her head. "No, I don't mind. It may be painful to think about my past, but actually, it does feel good to find someone I can share these stories with. Plus, it has been quite a while since we could spend time talking like this." A rare moment, this was, since they mostly shared their days together only when they got field assignments together as fellow members of the First Unit.

Ray chuckled darkly. "Now you're making me feel worse since I haven't got any time to spend with you and the others as of late. Hey, don't put on that look—I was joking," he quickly added after seing Alisa's darkening face. He rolled his eyes. "_Half_ joking, to be honest."

"No wonder." She smiled as she searched his face. "Being a leader isn't about sitting behind a table all day, I guess. Kota has complained a lot lately on why he hasn't got a chance to spar with you."

"Well... I should arrange my schedule better next time."

Alisa knew Ray's habit to take his work seriously despite his casual, easy going appearance, so she tried to change the subject before he became more frustated with his responsibility. "What about yours, then—your parents, I mean. What do they do?"

He tilted his head to one side as he thought; his expression flattened when he spoke. "I don't know my biological parents—my guardian said they died just months after I was born because of some incident involving a breakdown in some nuclear reactor. But my uncle and guardian, once said that they were scientists spending their lives studying how to replace nuclear with a 'safer' source of energy." A pause. For a moment, his eyebrows were tauted in a frown. "As for their origin, I was told that my mother was Irish while my father was a Japanese. That makes me a half, I conclude. I can never know for sure, though."

_Figures_, thought Alisa as she studied Ray's features closely. His facial features suggested that he was an East-Asian at a first glance, but when one looked closer, anyone would doubt that his complexion was of such. His skin was a bit too pale for a Japanese, and his dark green eyes clearly set him apart from the latter.

"I've never seen any photographs that captured their faces, so I don't know them at all," he continued after musing for a while. "I grew up being told that they had devoted their lives to ensure a better future for humanity, and that I should follow in their footsteps..." A subtle smile bloomed on his lips. "I hope being a Gods Eater is in tune with their wish."

"I bet it is. After all, who would stand on the frontline to defend humanity if not us?"

"I hope you're right." Ray closed his eyes for a moment and said, "But the funniest part is that my guardian taught me how to play some musical instruments before I was chosen as a Gods Eater. He said that music connects people together, even with the deceased. As a child, I had believed all he'd said to me. But thinking back now, I really can't understand my childish logic at all."

Alisa blinked at the remark. She had never imagined the half as a musician, but surely it was not hard to picture him playing some instruments.

He was not an expressive person at words, and as far as Alisa knew, he possessed an artistic soul when it came to details and sketches. She remembered that there had been times when he'd been required by the intel to fill in some details of an Aragami picture which their security and battle cameras couldn't grasp well. And he had always done the job almost all too perfectly. It wouldn't be surprising if he too was into the art of music.

"Why so?" she asked.

"It is simply because it's not an art I find useful in a world like this. But maybe if music could slay an Aragami, then there's a chance I would reconsider," he added with a smile.

Alisa almost laughed at the thought. Well, it would be literally funny, not to mention hillarious, if Aragami did fall when music was being played. "If it were true, than perhaps I should pick up one instrument to master as well. Oh, it's getting late. And you do have an appointment with the higher ups from another branch tomorrow morning, do you not? Let's get inside."

"And there I was hoping I could watch the snow falling down before I go to bed," he sighed. But he got up and straightened his coat nontheless. Alisa got up and tightened hers as well. She squirmed under the thick material, trying to fight down the chilling air. "But you're right: Tsubaki would kill me if I overslept."

They walked to the door leading underground, but Ray stopped before going inside and turned to face Alisa. "Thank you for your company. I really appreciate it."

She smiled and walked past through him. "I've enjoyed my share too; there's no need to thank me. And plus, I'll be going back to Russia in a matter of months, so I want to spend my time here doing whatever I can to support you and everyone." Walking in the dim light of the Den, the pair took the elevator to the Veteran's Section.

"Now I envy you even more," said Ray almost absently. "I wonder when _I _would get the chance to return home."

Although he was half Japanese, everyone knew that Ray had been raised in Europe until he officially got promoted as a combatant. He had talked about his 'homeland' briefly before and the higher ups had never seemed to be in the mood of letting him go on a travelling trip anytime soon. No, not with so much work to be done here, in the Far East Branch, where Aragami bred and roamed around tirelessly.

"I sympathize," she said. "But I'm sure you'll be allowed to visit Europe once things have calmed down a bit."

"I know I'll be missing this place evenmore once I'm there, so I won't complain for now."

The elevator stopped and Ray escorted Alisa to her room since his room was located at the farthest end of the section. "Don't stay up too late," said she. Standing on her tiptoes, Alisa leant closer to place a kiss on his cheek. Although his cheek was as cold as ice because of the air outside, she could feel heat radiating on his face the moment her lips came in touch with his skin.

"Don't worry. I still value my life, you know; though I'm beginning to wonder how Lindow had survived Tsubaki's lectures up until now," Ray said as they parted. "Good night."


	4. Chapter 2: Tears

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

* * *

******Chapter 2**

******Tears**

* * *

12 – 08 – 2074 / 20:27:09

"Move out!" shouted Soma as he unleashed a jump attack at the Aragami.

Kota quickly dashed from where he stood, avoiding the impact of Soma's buster blade just in time before it tore the flesh of the monster. He hurriedly loaded his God Arc with more bullets and ran to a farther spot, distancing himself from the raging battle to gain an upper hand in a long ranged combat.

"Three left!" shouted Karel, one of the rangers in Lindow Amamiya's unit who had joined the First Unit to lure out the New Type Aragami.

They had been ordered to stay hidden while acting as snipers and supporting the First Unit from afar; but when the assault party had gotten surrounded by more of those three-tailed beasts, they had no choice but to go all out and join them on field, trying desperately to fight off the mad beasts while using themselves as baits. And to their disadvantage, rain hadn't ceased at all, making the fight even harder for them.

Alisa ran to the other side of a ruined building while shooting at one of the Aragami continuously. When its movements were halted because of the barrage, she threw a stun grenade. Lindow quickly rushed to gain the momentum by dashing forward to the stunned Aragami and used a Devour Attack on its sturdily-build body. The beast screamed in pain and again, and its tails began to move wildly as it went berserk.

"Man, not that again," the former leader grumbled as he dodged the attack by leaping backwards.

"Lindow!"

He looked up to see Ray jumping right at him. Moving on instinct, he lashed out his God Arc as a footstool for the younger Gods Eater and swung him on the panicking Aragami. Ray slashed the beast in the head just in time before it noticed him, and landed on the muddy ground after he'd regained his balance in mid-air.

Only two of them were left now.

"Damn it, I'm out of bullets!" groaned Karel loudly.

Ray quickly rushed to the one of the last Aragami alive and deployed his shield to cover Karel, who was standing almost too close to the beast, from its claw's attack. Lindow and Soma moved to engage it from both sides as he did so. The impact on Ray's shield was severe, and it sent him flying to a wall of a ruined building nearby. He coughed some blood when his back hit the solid wall—cracking it at the same time.

"This is my last healing bullet," shouted Kota as he aimed for Ray. A ray of green light was shot.

Ray tried to get up when the bullet's effects finally kicked in, but almost misrably failed when his lungs felt burning the moment he tried to inhale. Alisa ran to his side and used a healing kit on him, having using all of her healing bullets to support the others as well. "Can you stand?" she asked, changing her God Arc into a close combat mode.

Nodding, Ray got up and said, "Yeah. But now we have to call back the rangers if we don't want to lose them."

"I'm also out of bullets," she darkly muttered.

Ray clicked on his intercom to issue the order to disperse. And although he received some cold stares from the rangers, they all fell back one by one, distancing themselves from the fight. He dismissed all of those. They'd only be a hindrance should they remain on the battlefield. Alisa gave a brief squeeze on his arm before going out to engage the two remaining beasts herself.

She knew how painful it was to see her comrades did all the fighting without being able to offer any help. And she knew how Ray must have felt too, shouldering all those feelings alone as a field leader.

Not that he was an obedient person to begin with... Alisa still remembered how he had gone to defend the Den _barehanded_ when some Aragami had successfully invaded the lower HQ two years ago. It had resulted in him using Lindow's God Arc, which had been a reckless action that could have killed him. Even a child would know fully well what did it mean to use a foreign God Arc that was not compatible with his own DNA. But he'd chosen to pick it up nontheless.

She knew he had done it for the sake of the Den's inhabitants, and his effort truly had saved one engineer. But everyone had considered his 'heroic' action to be reckless, and thus, he had angered Tsubaki, who had isolated him from duty for a whole week.

Ray leapt forward and swung his God Arc at one of the remaining beasts, cutting its tails in the process. Soma bashed his giant sword onto its front legs when it was still stunned by the pain. Seeing an opening, Alisa quickly leapt to attack its vurnurable head. Dark blood spilled everywhere as her blade came in contact with its skull.

The last Aragami, now surrounded by the four combatants, was now growling heavily. It moved with incredible speed. It seemed that its instincts to live had told him to go on a rampage lest it wanted to end up like its comrades. Lindow and Ray ran after it, dodging its tails as they approached the beast. Focused on the two alone, Alisa knew that it had failed to intercept her and Soma's approaching steps from another side. With the element of surprise, they successfully use a Devour Attack on the beast's sides, to which Ray and Lindow used the momentum to charge at its head.

It fell dead within seconds.

After the last Aragami had been felled, the four spread out to extract the cores from the corpses. "What a nuisance their evolution has become," commented Soma as he devoured one core. His white God Arc's core shone briefly.

Lindow sneezed as he massaged one shoulder. "Gosh, this rain is sure annoying. But yeah, I'm not sure the data stored up in Norn is even updated with their damned gradual evolution. It's a relief enough knowing these beasts do not regenerate like Hannibals."

"It sure is," said Soma evenly.

"We will head back to the Den as soon as we're done," Ray said through his intercom, alerting everyone on the field. But when he was about to turn around, one of the beast's tails moved at him, catching him off guard. The sharp tail pierced his right shoulder, numbing his hand and loosened his grip on his God Arc.

"What the—" said Soma. He ran towards Ray. But he was too far from where Ray was, and another tail was already aimed at the kneeling leader.

"Move out!" Alisa shouted in a desperate attempt to alert him of another attack.

Ray rolled over in time to dodge the tail, and by the time he had distanced himself from the Aragami, Lindow leapt in and buried his blade into its neck and gauged it open in disgust.

"'The hell was that," Soma breathed, his voice hard. "Didn't he just extracted the core?"

Alisa rushed to Ray's side once again and knelt beside him, inspecting his wound. There was a hole in a size of a golf ball, and blood was beginning to wet his Fenrir uniform. Ray gritted his teeth yet he produced no sound. His face paled as each second passed.

"This is bad, the blood won't stop," she said while supressing her fear and anxiety. She reminded herself that nothing would be done if all she did was only panicking.

Lindow quickly took off his jacket and pressed it to Ray's shoulder, trying to at least minimizing the blood that came from the wound. Alisa took the job over and helped Ray to stand up. Soma did likewise on his left, supporting his weight.

"Reporting in," said Lindow through his intercom. "The mission was a success, but the First Unit Leader's wounded—and we currently in no possession of healing kits or such. We request a helicopter to pick us up at a nearby location. And fast."

* * *

xx - 0 - xx

* * *

12 – 08 – 2074 / 23:24:18

The sound of Soma's punch on the metalic wall in the Den's underground hall resounded through the vast area. "Damn it! I knew we have extracted the core, and those wolves clearly do not have the ability to regenerate in such a speed."

Lindow, leaning against one side of the wall, shook his head. "No, they do not have such an ability," he darkly muttered, almost to himself. "I guess we can just call it the strongest instinct we all living beings share: the will and sheer determination to live."

Kota waved his hand in dismissal. "You're saying it moved after it was dead only by instinct and desire to live alone? I can't believe that crap!"

The three of them then fell silent. No matter to what conclusion they may arrive, the fact that their field leader was badly wounded now wouldn't change. After they had gotten to the helicopter, the medical team had warned them that there was some unknown poison thwarting his life.

The tails of the wolves then, seemed to be poisonous. No one had realized this threat since they had always used healing bullets or kits as soon as one got scratched from its attack, therefore, minimizing the chance for the poison to spread out. But in this case, it was far too late for Ray, who had gotten attended properly almost half an hour later after suffering from such an attack. Even without the poison, his wound was already deep enough and he had lost much blood. After they'd gotten into the Den, he had been quickly transported into a surgery room.

Since he was a New Type Gods Eater, the medics had assumed that it was safer to tranfuse blood from another New Type too, making Alisa the candidate. Though Kota knew that even without them asking so, the young woman would volunteer to anyway. "This must be hard on Alisa," he murmurred absently, gazing at the empty hall leading to the elevator.

"I do hope she won't breakdown like she did in the past," said Lindow as he straightened up.

It was no secret that Alisa had been treated regularly for mental health issues eversince her parents' death sometime in the past. Lindow's going M.I.A a couple of years ago had only trigerred more of her unstability. It was thanks to Ray that she had gotten to recover and resume actual combat. "There's no use in being all gloomy here. What do you say we go to—"

He was interrupted by the grumbling sound that came from the elevator. Its door opened up, and it turned out to be Tsubaki who was inside of it. She walked off the elevator, her face a placid mask.

"Sis?" asked Lindow in a low, yet urgent tone. "How is he?"

Tsubaki kept silent for some seconds before exhaling deeply. She stared almost blankly into their eyes and began to speak in a cold, low voice. "You guys are to remain calm at all times while listening to me."

There was a long pause, a heavy silence among them.

She said: "The doctors found out that the infection had spread throughout his body by the time he had been brought into the Den. They've done everything to the best of their abilities, but his lungs and heart have already been eaten by the 'corrosion' caused by the New Type Aragami's poison. Although his brain still functioned until a moment ago, one cannot rely on just a part of the body while almost all of his organs have rejected the command his brain sends."

"Damn it!" screamed Kota as he fell to his knees. He punched the floor repeatedly. "Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, _damn it all_!"

Tsubaki continued, undistrubed by Kota. "Our field leader, Ray Maxwell, is deemed Died of Wounds. As for the one who will fill in the position he left behind is still yet to be decided." A pause, a quick intake of breath. "That... is all for now."

"That bastard!" spat Soma.

Only Lindow maintained a composed look despite the news. "Has... this been informed to everyone in the Den?"

"It currently is."

* * *

xx - 0 - xx

* * *

12 – 08 – 2074 / 23:41:22

Alisa tried to get up from her bed, using her elbows to support her weight as she tried to rise up.

Her head was still dizzy, and her body felt heavy because of the blood tranfusion. Ray had lost much blood, and so, she had been told to remain in bed until dawn.

But how could she?

She wouldn't stay in bed. Not after what she'd heard had happened from all the shouting voices outside.

She slowly regained her balance and was finally able to breathe normally, but as soon as she mustered some strength to take a step, she almost fell to one side when trying.

The door to the sick bay bolted open, revealing a nurse who hurriedly rushed to her side. "Miss Alisa! You musn't move just yet!"

"No," she managed to said in a hoarse voice. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes but her gaze was fixed on the hall outside. "I want to see him..."

The nurse was about to open her mouth in protest, but Kota appeared at the doorway and interrupted her. "Let's go, Alisa. We'll see him."

She lifted up her face to meet his: a determined face yet full of anguish was in front of her. A look she had never seen on someone as cheerful as Kota. He threw a silent glare at the nurse who was still holding Alisa's left arm. It worked, and she reluctantly released her grip. He then held out his hand to the Russian, which she gratefully took.

Together, they walked to the operation room located at the east wing of the fortress—the hospital building special only for Fenrir Gods Eaters. Soma, Lindow, and some of the East Branch members were already gathering there. None of them were talking. They were either sitting on the bench or standing silently there, each seemed busy with their own thoughts. Alisa didn't bother to look at them eventhough she knew that everyone's eyes had fallen upon her the moment she'd arrived. With Kota's help, she walked towards the door; her mind was almost blank and her body was moving on its own.

She couldn't think, nor she could feel anything. She just had this urge to see him.

The door was opened, and so, she could see a capsule at the center of the room. A doctor approached them. "You may see him. But we can't open the capsule, for any contact with the body is forbidden," he softly said. It was a protocol to ensure that no strange variables get in the way of the autopcy, she knew, but she didn't linger. Moving slowly to the machine containing Ray's body, she was finally able to see his face.

Wrapped in a gray outfit usually wore by patients, he looked almost like a statue: well sculpted, unmoving, and devoid of any colors of life.

Alisa collapsed against the capsule as if she had been struck. She pressed her hands on the glass. And before she knew it, tears were falling down from her eyes, sizzling and streaming off the capsule's surface. Memories flickered and danced in her mind.

... Of him telling her that she had nothing to worry about...

... Of the time they had spent together discussing about their deceased loved ones and family...

Upon seing the state she was in, Kota stepped back and glared at the doctors and nurses in the room. They all heeded to his silent order and left, and soon after that, Kota also left the room, leaving her alone.

The door swished shut behind her.

Alisa slowly traced the shape of his face on the glass. She, of all people, should knew that death comes to everyone. But finding herself standing before the corpse of the one who'd taught her to live and to fight, it was as if _she _was the one who was dying here.

It was not right, she thought.

It was not fair.

It was _her _who should be laying lifeless there! She was the one who had caused Lindow and Sakuya's suffering, and before she could even do a thing to fix her errors, Ray had stepped in and opened the path of atonement for her by tracking Lindow down. And if it hadn't been for him, she would have been still bedridden in the hospital because of mental breakdown.

If she ever owed her life and everything she had now to someone, then he was the person.

Even until now, Alisa hadn't grasped his reason for staying with her when everyone had left her behind. She hadn't dared to question his kindness. She could see nothing that he could gain in return from helping someone like her, but still, he'd continued to stay by her side. Always silent supporter. Always with an encouraging smile.

"You're such a liar," she softly whispered through her quiet sobs. Her hands, still glued on the glass, slowly clenched as her feet lost its strength to support her weight. "You told me everything's going to be all right... And yet..."

Her voice broke hoarse. It was as if something cold was choking her throat, making her unable to breathe properly. Her heart ached. Never she had felt this broken before, not even when she'd lost her parents, not even when Lindow'd been considered dead. The pain was worse than anything she had felt before: and yet she had thought that she would grow stronger when she'd chosen to live a life as a Gods Eater...

How wrong she had been...

Losing her parents had told her to go on and search for any means to avenge them. Losing Lindow had urged her to change herself in order to become more matured, as a warrior, as well as a person.

But losing Ray...? It was as if she'd lost her reason to live—for he was the one who had taught her what life as a Gods Eater meant.

"Alisa." There was a light knock on the door. She quickly snapped out of her own world of guilt and pain, quickly rising up to her feet with some difficulties. "Alisa, we're coming in," the voice said once again. She recognized it as Tsubaki's.

The door opened. Tsubaki, Kota and some doctors and nurses came in. "We will move his body now for further research on the poison," the older woman said quietly. "I'm sorry, Alisa. I truly am. But please, do understand that this research must be done as quickly as possible to gather more data in order to make sure this kind of foreign poison wouldn't cause more casualties in the future."

When she kept silent and only stared blankly at the capsule, Tsubaki sighed. "Kota," she turned to face the Japanese young man, "please escort Alisa to her room."

He gave a curt nod and approached Alisa, grabbing her arm gently. "C'mon, Alisa."

She didn't resist nor complain. Walking silently, she exited through the door and let Kota lead the way to her room. He didn't try to talk, too, she realized. But it was only to be expected, since Kota was the second-closest person to Ray after her. Having entered Fenrir at the same time, the two had grown up as Gods Eaters together, quickly becoming the best of friends.

Once arrived, Kota left her wordlessly, only nodding once as a sign of understanding with a forlorn face before going to his own room. He must be deeply hurt, too. But she dismissed any thoughts of sympathy and shut her mind from any other feelings.

Alisa closed the door to her room and pressed her back against it, once again letting tears wetting her cheeks. "You're a liar," whispered she in the darkness. Crouching to hug her knees, she let her consciousness to fall adrift, slowly melting together with the emptyness inside.


	5. Chapter 3: Anomalies

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**Anomalies**

* * *

13 – 08 – 2075 / 06:24:11

Alisa woke up realizing she had fallen asleep while musing about the event that had happened a year ago in her bed. Clutched lightly in one hand was a silver neackle, which was a memento from Ray which she'd received before her flight to Russia last year. It had a red jewel attached on its crystal-shaped silver pendant, to which the former 1st Unit leader had commented that the color suited her well. "_It represents determination and warmth,_" he had said. "_It is also a color of sincerecity and passion, traits I've found in you._"

Ray was not a man of words, but when he spoke, he did it in a way most people couldn't resist. He was a natural artist; whether at music, painting or even poetry. Of course, she'd never seen him writing one, but his speeches were mostly constructed in a manner many found interesting and hard to disagree to. They were certainly not flowery or filled with sweet phrases or words, but instead, he'd often combined logic and his own method of putting phillosophical thoughts into words to catch people's attention well. That was one of some qualities that made people follow his lead without too many questions despite his young age and early promotion.

Of course, there had also been some bad rumors regarding the promotion at first, about him being the first New Type leader in relation to some people's suspicion of Fenrir trying to get rid the Old Types bit by bit. But everything had quickly dissolved as the Den's former director's schemes were put into motion.

Unlike Soma who was battle hardened and already a trained fighter since he had only been twelve years of age, Ray had been someone she'd never thought capable of holding a blade properly at a first glance. She'd often wondered what he would have become if he hadn't joined Fenrir as an Aragami slayer, and she had forever lost the chance to ask him now...

Alisa's mouth twitched in pain at the thought. Tears were threatening to wet her face again. There had never been any good impacts from thinking about him. At one point, she would be angry, almost delusional, even. Then would place all the blame on the world or even at the Aragami like she'd used to when she had been blinded by vengence. But on another occassion, which reccurred more often than the latter, she was more vulnurable, with her memories of being with him haunting her as if trying to lure her into madness.

She looked misrable, she knew. And self-pity was something she never grew accustomed to after she had been officially discharged from Fenrir's mental health treatment two years ago.

Slowly trying to get up, she sat on the edge of her bed, trying to clear her head with some difficulties, dismissing the image of Ray's cold, lifeless body kept in a capsule. Telling her body to move before she collapsed onto the warm bed again, Alisa took a quick shower and changed into her usual white Fenrir attire. She couldn't let the past haunt her forever, she grimly thought as she mentally slapped herself off her grief.

She wore the neackle under her clothes, and got out from her room just in time to see Kota in the hallway. He seemed to be heading for the elevator.

"'Morning," he greeted her with a lazy grin. "Got enough sleep? Man, I spent the entire night watching my Bugarally collection and fell asleep on the sofa... My body aches like hell, now," he groaned while massaging one shoulder.

Alisa dipped her head to hide a smile. "Must be quite a pain," she said, feigning sympathy. She always knew if either Kota or Ray was lying at her. They had this... look and aura that told her to distance herself from the truth they didn't want to spill, and thus, pointing out that they _were_ lying.

They both walked toward the elevator. "We are scheduled to meet Director Sakaki at seven, aren't we? I didn't know that he's already back from Russia," she said.

"Didn't he depart along with you?"

"Yes. But I was told to go back before him. He said that he had some business to take care of before going back here."

Kota sighed deeply while stretching his arms wide with a moan. "I bet he just wanted to do something he didn't want you to see. That old man sure knows how to hide secrets while torturing us with annoying tasks."

Alisa could only nod in compliance.

The elevator arrived at the Laboratory with a 'ding'. Once they were out of the elevator, the found a familiar figure was already waiting for them there. "Soma," greeted Kota to the senior Gods Eaters who was leaning his back against the wall. His arms were crossed over his chest, a permanent scowl on his face. "You're called by the old man, too?"

Soma shrugged as he beckoned them to Director Sakaki's lab further down the hall, his hands burried in the pockets of his white coat. "I wonder what he wants us to do now," his voice trailed off. He tapped a button on the side of the wall and said through the com, "It's us."

"Come in," came the answer. The door slid open, revealing the ever messy room with its floor covered in white papers and books. They were scattered all around the place, and Alisa, perhaps for the hundredth time, questioned the Doctor's ability to survive a week without a helping hand.

As usual, Dr. Sakaki was behind his computers, typing while humming some notes without bothering to glance up at his guests. "You guys are earlier than I presumed," he said, almost absently.

"When did you get back here?" asked Kota.

"Four hours and twenty minutes ago." Sakaki fixed his glasses. "Ah, you must all be wondering why I summoned you here. No, no, don't worry, I won't task you guys with some material hunting for my research again," he quickly said under Soma's death glare. "Actually, I want you to investigate some... anomalies, this time."

"Anomalies?" echoed Kota.

"Yes," he beamed, almost all too enthusiasticly. Alisa made a note that something was always not right when this eccentric scientist behaved that way. Sakaki's glittering eyes that were filled with excitement usually meant dangerous missions awaited them at the end of the talk. "You see, one of the reasons why I stayed at the Russian Branch a little longer was this." He typed on his computer board, and an image was produced on one of the monitors immediately.

It projected a single word Alisa recognized all too well. "Oдин," she repeated the word ringing in her mind aloud.

"A-what?" asked Kota.

"_A-deen_," she pronounced it more slowly this time, pressing the tone slightly so her team may grasp it well in english. "It means '_one_' in Russian."

"What's this?" asked Soma. "You're not expecting us to learn how to count in Russian, are you?"

"Now, now, don't be so short-tempered and listen first to this old man's explanation first, would you?" Sakaki leaned back in his chair. "What you see in the monitor is a code we received just a while ago when we were investigating about a certain project long abandoned in the past. It may sound a bit complicated, but the thing is, we are currently tasked to investigate this один Project in secret by the higher ups. It was only two months ago that I was told that there was a movement made by some Fenrir's ex-researchers that gained a suspicious eye from our branch in Europe..."

"Wait," Kota cut in. "What do you mean by '_ex_-researchers'?"

"They are researchers who have been dismissed or no longer receiving funds from Fenrir," said Soma.

Sakaki's smile broadened. "It seems that you are well informed, Soma. But let's move on, shall we?" He made another click on his computer board, and then another image popped out on a different monitor, revealing a coordinated map of Japan with several red dots scattered throughout the islands. "We have received a word of anomalies happening around Asia for several weeks now. You surely recall of a breakout of New Type Aragami that started to occur a year ago, don't you?"

Alisa pushed the bitter feeling that choked her throat. How could she forget? How could she not remember the cause of Ray's death? For her, it felt as if it had just happened yesterday rather than a year ago. And although the throbbing pain had already ceased down, the emptyness that lingered after the needles of regret and bitterness had been pulled off still remained in her heart somewhere.

"I admit that we have suffered a great loss since then," Sakaki quickly continued, perhaps realizing his listeners' change of mood after the brief reminscence of their former leader's death, "and so, we have conducted a specified investigation regarding the rapid Aragami evolution. The breakout of those New Types surely forced us, researchers, to work day and night. Never have we seen and heard of such a rapid and continuous Aragami evolution in just a matter of months without some concrete reasons to support the theory of their mutation. Europe and Japan are especially threatened by this epidemic."

"So," Alisa muttered in wonder, "these red spots are where those New Type Aragami have been sighted most frequent?"

Sakaki clapped his hands. "You're right."

"And what's the relation between this rapid Aragami evolution to that code?" asked Kota.

"I was just about to arrive at the point," mumbled Sakaki with half smile. He leaned forward and folded his hands on the table. "Basically, our intels reported to us that a group of some Fenrir's ex-researchers was conducting some kind of a research regarding this matter. We don't know what they're up to yet, and all the data we have right now only points out to this one word you see there.

"It seems that they are also moving underground, practically much like us, and experimenting on Aragami using our data of the Bias factor. To put it simply, the один Project was something that made them who they are now. Their proposal had been rejected, and some of them left Fenrir thereafter, seemingly in order to pursue the ideals they dearly hold."

"It's... not illegal, is it?" whispered Kota to Soma, who replied a shake of his head.

Sakaki's smile was bitter when he continued. "There is no rules that can bind them, of course, since they are no longer a part of Fenrir. But using _our _data to conduct an experiment on the Aragami, especially the New Types, on their own is a sign of mockery, if not just a mere thirst for knowledge."

Alisa blinked in surprise, then frowned at his last remark. "_New_ Types? How do you know that they are 'especially' experimenting on New Type Aragami?"

"Now _that _is a classified information we cannot tell you just yet." His sheepish grin was back to his face. "And plus, we're not in a possession of a detailed report yet, which of course does restrict us from taking the right action. So it is better not to assume anything until we get some further information regarding the matter."

"Wait, wait, wait," Kota snapped. "You said earlier that these ex-researchers _are _still doing experiments on New Type Aragami using our data, right? Does it mean that they also have their own Gods Eaters?"

Still smiling, the Director waved a hand. "Eventhough we have not yet received an accurate information about that, I do assume that they _do_ produce Gods Eaters on their own. But noting on their limited access and amount of money and materials they have, there can't be too many of them. Though it is safe to assume that they do have quite a few, since it will be nearly impossible for them to slay the Aragami without one."

Soma shifted impatiently on where he stood. "Then, you want us to investigate by hunting these New Types, huh? Presuming that we are bound to meet their hunters if we keep on hunting their prey..."

"A nice logic," Sakaki said with a nod. "As you can see, we're still on a shortage of information here. All of what I've said to you is nothing more but a conclusion we made over a small amount of data and facts we've found on the fields. But nothing more. That is why I want to you to specifically hunt at these marked areas: to both gain the momentum by collecting and studying the Aragami evolution, and also to wait for a chance to stumble upon them."

"But don't you think the probability of encountering them is very low?" asked Alisa. There was something that seemed a bit off in this mission. Something that tickled her mind, telling her that the scientist had not been telling them the whole truth regarding the case.

"It is," he replied curtly. "But we are not without any information and we can't act on hunches alone either way; our intels in Russia have confirmed their activities here, in Japan. Out of these fifty-two dots we have, seven had been removed by last month, indicating that there are someone, or some people, out there who are on a move in slaying these Aragami."

The three fell silent, each busy with their own mind and deductions. After a moment of silence passed, Sakaki spoke up. "Now you three should be ready for your first mission regarding this case. The helicopter will depart at nine, so you'd best be preparing now."

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13 – 08 – 2075 / 09:17:22

Tsubaki was in her room, busy with the piles of papers on her desk, when her intercom produced an alarming sound. It was a signal of a guest looming before her working chamber.

"It's me," said a voice from the other side of the metal door. The raven haired woman pressed a switch and the door slid open.

Director Sakaki strode into the room nonchalantly, carrying along a bundle of papers along with a disk in one hand. He placed all of them onto her desk. "They have departed for the mission fifteen minutes ago," he reported to the supervisor. Although he had been officially made director by Fenrir after the Nova incident, Tsubaki was someone who wasn't supposed to serve directly under him. Her only duties were to report to Fenrir and do whatever she was told to do; Sakaki could not possibly interfere with her job.

Tsubaki nodded without looking at him, her eyes darting from one document to another.

"I'm still against this, Supervisor Amamiya," the Director sharply said, his grey eyes never leaving the woman's face. "Sending them on a mission like that is—"

"Cruel?" she calmly cut in. Tsubaki lifted her head to meet his gaze, her expression was almost blank, making the ever elegant woman even harder to read. "So are you saying, Director Paylor, that you of all people are not guilty in this matter?"

Sakaki shook his head, his jaw stiffening. "I'm not saying that I'm not guilty... But sending those three to investigate on this case is far too dangerous. We can't afford to lose more Gods Eaters. Especially by mental breakdown," he added in a low voice barren with sarcasm.

"Those three are ones of our most capable hunters. And as a plus, the chance of them discovering the pieces to complete the puzzle is rather slim." When Sakaki didn't reply, Tsubaki smiled bitterly. "Are you regretting the past, Doctor? That's very unlikely of you."

"No. Not as a scientist," he confirmed. He opened his mouth to say more but then closed it again and chose to be silent. He had been asked of the same thing over and over in his life as a man devoted to logic and the law of nature. But never had he answered it as himself; he had always moved according to his calculations and theories, never trusting feelings other things that he'd considered against the law of his own theory. But that had changed.

"You should sit, Doctor," said Tsubaki. It was a command.

Sakaki grabbed a seat and sat down on it. Choosing his words with care, he began to speak slowly. "I am surprised that you, of all people, who had known the sorrow of losing your own family, and once, your brother, could abide to such an order." He paused and then added, "Even from the start, I have always found myself questioning the higher ups' ideas and methods as of late. Our trade with those mad men didn't end like we'd wanted it to."

"Mad or not, they do have better theories and specimens than us. Especially now."

He breathed deeply. "This is going too far from what we'd hoped," he muttered. "None of us knew that they would be able to breed such monsters."

"Monsters they can control," Tsubaki interjected. "And a powerful bunch."

"Monsters are still monsters," he insisted. "But again I warn you: sending those three will not help us much. They will learn the truth eventually, and there's a high probability that they would turn their blades against us if they knew of our errors."

"We are simply following orders, Doctor. Even if we are to object, there is little room for our voice. Whoever has been branded by Fenrir is nothing but its tool."

"Soma Schicksal was forced to kill his own father when the Ark Project was about to be launched," he said, as if reminding her of the bitter outcome of Director Schicksal's plan to 'renew' the world.

To his surprise, Tsubaki laughed, the sound low and disbelieving. There was bitterness and flickered anger in her tone when she spoke up. "But unfortunately, Gods Eaters are not designed to live a happy, luxurious life. They are the very protectors of humanity—and they have no right to complain against their own decision." She swung her right hand, which had an Armlet on it, in front of her face. "The moment the Armlet become a part of one's body, one has lost his freedom in pursuing whatever naive ideals he once held."

"You're sounding as if you're speaking from personal experience."

"I am," she admitted as a sardonic smile bloomed on her lips. "As a person not believing in fate, you must be quite stirred when you found out that Alisa Amiella's parents are the very same researchers whose data you've been sniffing into in these past two months."

"You're... deliberately changing the subject, aren't you?".

Tsubaki only smiled in return.

Sighing, Sakaki put off his glasses and pressed his index and mother finger onto his closed eyes. "I guess I am getting old and senile, huh? But your guess is right. The moment our intel in Russia handed me the report on the subject, I almost squirmed. My logic had already warned me of the possibilities, though... Now all that remains is to confirm all those data we've gathered by awaiting some results from those three." He added almost ruefully, "Of course, only if they could make it back with the things we need."

"I'm sure they can handle the job," began Tsubaki, but then she interrupted herself. "No. The most important thing we have to do is to make sure _what _are their hunters capable of, and _whose _side they are on. Eventhough we have remained in good terms with those mad men, I'm postive that they have their own agenda. And that is what we exactly have to find out. Should they turn their back completely on us, these guys could pose a threat greater than even the Aragami."

Nodding, Sakaki got up from his seat and waved a hand casually. "I understand that." And he did. That was the very reason why he'd decided to investigate the matter himself, by going as far as gathering information in Russia. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some other matters I have to attend to."

"Just don't forget, Doctor," said Tsubaki. Her stare was glued Sakaki's back. "We are all in this together. One mistake, and we would all go down. Puppets we may be, but still, we are puppets who play a great role in deciding Fenrir's future."

"I get that a lot."

And the door slid shut behind him.

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_**A/N :** Ah, finally the second twist is about to unfold. Do RnR if you're interested._

_(Comments on my writing skills are also what I need the most right now... )_


	6. Chapter 4: A Chance Meeting

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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**Chapter 4**

**A Chance Meeting**

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29 – 08 – 2075 / 23:36:09

Lindow Amamiya watched his opponents with a trained eye of a frontliner, mentally assessing each man: which of them was built for speed and who would be strongest in close combat, which of them was a right-handed gunner and which of them fought with his left, paying particular attention to the their leader at the same time.

Before him, stood twelve armed men with solid determination to kill anyone who got in their way. Indeed, he was unquestionably an intruder they must eliminate since the raven haired Gods Eater had gone into their lair without invitation.

The largest man, who seemed to be in charge of the security around the underground facility, gave a hand signal to his subordinates, ordering them to dispose of the intruder. All of the men stepped forward without a word, their weapons aimed at Lindow's head.

Moving at a speed of someone who was worthy of a title of being a one-man army, Lindow evaded their attack and ran around the dark room. With trail of bullets following every step he took, he made a turn at one corner and leapt back, drawing his God Arc and bashing it to the ground. Of course, he purposedly missed any of them; his attack's only aim was to distract the guards, and therefore creating an opening to engage them in hand-to-hand combat—the oldest and simplest way to knock people out without taking their lives. After all, he had been ordered not to kill a single foe. His sister would certainly skin him alive should his mission fail.

Using the chance his large sword had created for him, Lindow landed lightly on the ground and began spinning, kicking and punching each man without any difficulties. The years he had spent combatting those blood-thirsty beasts far larger than his size had finally proved to have its own benefits when he was forced to fight against creatures his own size and built.

After most of them had fallen to the cold floor, only four men remained standing, with the captain included. The guards around the captain tensed further at the sight of their fallen comrades, and if there was anything that prevented them from suffering the same humiliation, it was their captain's voice. "Hold," he'd said to them the moment Lindow had finished most of his men.

The large man took one step forward, his left hand raised to hold his subordinates from firing. "A pet of Fenrir," he said with a voice filled with accussations and irritation. His gaze was locked on Lindow's right arm—which had undergone a semi-Aragami-mutation because of a certain event in the past.

"Prejudices," Lindow sighed. He cast a glance around the room, his God Arc's hilt resting on his shoulder. He smiled inwardly when he saw the fear in the guards' eyes at the sight of his inhumane weapon. If that kind of blade were to strike at human's flesh and bones... Well, he'd let their imagination run wild. "So, Captain," he regarded the older man casually, "forgive me for my lack of mannerism, but believe me, trying _not _to kill my opponents is rather hard after spending all my days slaying monsters capable of smashing my body until nothing is left."

"I owe you nothing," the Captain spat.

Lindow's smile flashed in the darkness. "Is that so? I wouldn't be so sure if I were you. But never mind that." He jabbed his sword swiftly to the Captain, its blade only inches away from his nose. "I deem answers: Who are the people running this facility? What are their intentions by using our data and research on the bias factor?"

"Such arrogance. Do you think you can intimidate me with that outdated toy?" sneered the Captain.

"And what makes you think I can't?"

"Because—" the Captain produced a switch from his pocket— "we are more than willing to give our lives in order to cleanse this world from the likes of you."

"Wha—"

Lindow reacted a second too late. The Captain pressed the switch before Lindow could swing his sword, and an explosion occured. Lindow deployed his shield while crouching low on instinct, his God Arc's buckler raised to protect his head, which he tried to burry under his coat to cover his ears from the loud sound. The planted bomb seemed to be located somewhere behind the Captain—if it was not attached to his own body or his men's.

Another round of explosions followed, and Lindow, deciding that it was safer now to escape since there were no bombs left in and around the room anymore, got up carefully and got through a cracked wall. His body felt numb and he could barely feel the trickled of blood on his face. But delaying meant death. So he forced his feet to run as fast as they could without glancing back. He knew the hallway he'd used as an entrance was now long gone, so he decided to search for other means to get up back topsoil. There had to be some other way around, now, since he'd spotted some armory room nearby. They couldn't have possibly transported weapons using the main entrance and—there it was, the elevator to the armory room!

Lindow leapt from the shaking ground and assaulted himself to grab a pipe on the ceiling. In a swift movement, he swung himself and landed heavily on the other side of a broken wall. He kicked the elevator and luckily, the door slid open just two seconds before he could hear a loud sound that was a product of explosives which must have been planted just below the capsule. He got in, praying that it would function.

"C'mon, damn it," murmured Lindow impatiently as the elevator was shaken by the impact. With an unsteady tremor, it moved upward.

Much to his relief, the elevator did not stop moving. It was halted several times, but the capsule managed to move quite smoothly to the upper ground—which seemed to be clear from explosives. Maybe the people here thought that it would be one of their last resorts to escape: a way to escape should they were forced to blow up the _whole_ facility.

The elevator arrived with a strange, creaking sound, and Lindow was forced to kick the door open when the mechanism failed to activate. He threw himself forward and ran until he found another round of staircase—undamaged, fortunately—and began climbing up in fear of more unexpected threats installed in the lair.

Cold breeze of night welcomed him the moment he tore down the door leading to the outside world with his sword. He gave out a long, relieved sigh. What a close call.

His intercom buzzed. "...'ndow? What—'at?"

It was Tsubaki's voice.

"Can't hear you, Sis," he replied, trying to control his breath while checking up on his wounds. Nothing major. Just some scratches. But his ears...

The intercom buzzed yet again. "—safe?"

He doubted that the buzzing noise that prevented him from hearing Tsubaki's voice clearly was caused _only_ by the damaged intercom. "Look, I'll tell you everything later—my ears and this device are not in the shape to hear you clearly now. For the moment, just send a copter to pick me up at the destined point of rendezvous." He clicked on the device attached to his ear, and paled a bit when he saw that his gloved hand was stained by blood. Not good.

Sighing, he could only hope the doctors at the Den could do something to fix his ears. But more importantly, he had some papers to fill in. He had failed the mission, but it didn't mean he'd return with no info at all. At least his infiltration _was_ a success.

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30 – 08 – 2075 / 00:33:02

"This is getting annoying," grumbled Kota from afar.

Alisa bit her lip to prevent herself from wasting her breath complying since her body had already demanded to get some rest after the day's work.

They had been dispatched to a non-residental sector marked with a red dot since afternoon in serach for some New-Type Aragami that had been reported to be hunting around the area. The scouts had informed that these Aragami were of a rare breed, and had previously attacked a residental area not far from the abandoned sector they were in now.

Alisa knew that Kota's grumbling was not directed at the bitter fact that they hadn't encountered any of them after hours of searching the area. They had only been successful in slaying smaller Aragami.

"I really don't get these missions," continued Kota in annoyance. "Out of eleven special missions given this month, we've been 'bested' by these-so-called-hunters three times!"

True. Three times they had been late for Dr. Sakaki's planned 'chance meeting' with the hunters working for those ex-researchers. When they had arrived on the scene, New-Type Aragami they had been supposed to hunt had already been slain with their cores gone. There had almost been no tracks of their slayers.

Soma, who was leading the party, glanced back at Kota and smiled wryly. "I bet that old man is hiding something—if not more than _one_ thing—from us. It's in his nature to keep secrets."

"Then one more round of searching," said Alisa, trying not to show any signs of weariness, "and we'll go back to the Den if nothing comes up. Only the eastern sector is left anyway."

"Fine," grunted Kota.

They made a turn to the left, entering a deeper and darker alley with rubbles of metal scrap scattered on the ground. There was not much light, of course, so they all slowed down to ensure that they wouldn't step on some sharp objects. After a few minutes of walking in the darkness, Soma stopped in his tracks. "Wait." He raised one hand.

"Found something?" asked Kota, who was guarding the rear.

Soma bent to one knee and said, "A... trap?"

"Trap?" echoed Alisa.

"A planted trap," he confirmed. "It seemed like it was planted quite recently."

Through his shoulder, Alisa could see him removing what seemed to be a flat object carefully. After he'd disarmed it, he studied it for a moment, then handed it over to Alisa and Kota. The item was in a size of a plate and had a foregin design, noted Alisa, with no emblem of Fenrir. "Is it a civilian's doing?" she wondered aloud.

"I don't think so," said Soma in dismissal. "Its techonology is foreign to the type that we use, and it can't possibly owned by a lowly peasant—it'd be too expensive should it was sold in a blackmarket."

Kota held up the trap, examining it under the moonlight. Among the three, he was surely the one who was most familiar with such devices. "I've never seen anything like this. The mechanism is set to explode within a set period of time, though. Fenrir forbids this kind of explosive trap, right?"

Soma gave an affirmative nod. "I can't determine the impact of the trap should it detonates, but judging from the size, it should be quite powerful." His eyes darted to the looming darkness ahead of them, his gaze tranfixed to the ground, and then he added, "I've got a feeling there are more of this thing scattered all around the area."

Kota and Alisa exchanged glances and then nodded. They all knew something was not right. No civilians would create a trap zone without purpose. More so in an abandoned place like this. Obviously, they couldn't possibly have the money to buy a handful of traps.

"What shall we do, then?" asked Kota warily.

"We shall not inspect further," decided the senior Gods Eater almost right away. "It's too dark in here, and I don't want to risk our feet for a mission like this. We'll have the Doc figure everything out."

"But—there might be some Aragami residing there. Are you sure it's fine for us to leave that area uninspected?" said Kota.

Soma was already walking past him. "And there might be not. The Den can dispatch scouting team to do the job when the sun's up."

It was a rational decision, Alisa thought. It wouldn't make a respectable death to lose one's life to a trap zone when no war was being fought. And plus, their deaths would surely bring shame to their profession.

They all turned back and walked through the area to go back to the meeting point, each of them lost in their own tired thoughts. But when they were about to leave the sector, the three stopped in their tracks and froze.

There was a growl. Although the sound was faint, they all had heard it, no doubt.

Soma nodded at his comrades, to which they also replied with the same silent gesture.

"Why now of all times," sighed Kota, his shoulders slumped briefly before he braced himself and ran to follow his companions.

Walking rather carefully to the northern area of the site, they all readied their God Arcs as the sound got louder and louder. There were multiple growls, it seemed, three, to be exact—according to Soma's acute hearing. But it wasn't only the growls that they'd heard; sounds of metal clashing against flesh and bullets being fired were also within their earshot now. Could it be that Fenrir had sent another team to the same sector? They hadn't been informed of that...

They used the rubbles and piles of metal there to cover themselves when they were close enough to peer closer to take a better view of what was happening.

Three large shadows were seen leaping and moving wildly amongst the piles of metal junk. In the dark, the couldn't exactly tell how they looked, but their movements were similar to that of Kongos. With some exceptions of being slightly larger, faster and wilder. And, they had more than one tails.

Memories of a certain rainy night that had cost Ray's life struck Alisa's mind like a falling hammer. Her body tensed at the reminscence, her eyes wide and her heart felt as if it just sank into her belly.

Beside her, Kota was entrapped in the same trance. Only Soma, who was hiding a few paces away behind a large pile of broken walls, retained his cool.

* * *

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* * *

30 – 08 – 2075 / 01:07:16

Soma non-audibly cursed the situation they were in. This was definitely not good. Those three Aragami, despite having complexions more similar to those of a giant monkey with a horned buffalo combined, clearly snapped the younger Gods Eaters out of their mind. It did, after all, have a slight resemblance with the multiple-tailed wolves. He grabbed a stone and threw it at Kota. It hit him on the head.

The red-haired Gods Eater flinched at the unexpected 'attack' and almost hollered if it wasn't for Soma's intense glare telling him to be as silent as possbile. Producing a low grumbling voice, Kota shook Alisa's shoulder and the young woman blinked several times before she was brought back to reality. But Soma's attention had been elsewhere.

He could see two figures now—humans, unmistakably—combatting the three Aragami. They were merely shadows leaping, shooting and dashing from one side to the other in Soma's night-vision at first. Though he couldn't make for their appearances any better because of the distance, he did realize, after some brief seconds of observation made posibble by the moonlight, that the two were wielding weapons far too similar to their God Arcs. By the way they changed the giant blade into a long barrelled gun and rifle, theirs were what untrained eyes would handicap as New-Type Gods Eaters' God Arcs. But Soma's eyes wouldn't be tricked that easily.

One of them was using a type of weapon much more similar to a lance rather than a sword—something that everyone knew was not of Fenrir's invention. The other one, a figure slightly smaller than the lancer, presumably a woman, was wielding a big gun with multiple barrels Soma had never seen before.

And there were their movements... They were clearly what distinguished them from any normal Gods Eaters. The way they dashed and jumped, the speed of their dance and the sharpness of their attacks were inhumane—even for enhanced combatants such as himself and Lindow. _What are they...? _he mused grimly. His expression was of a combined emotions of bewilderment and awe.

Within mere minutes, two Aragami had been slain by the two figures clad in black. Only one remained. And it was already bathed in blood, its body bruised by scars. It wouldn't last long now, thought Soma.

He was right. But what had struck down the last Aragami was not the two combatants, but a bullet that was shot from nowhere. They had a sniper?

"There are more."

One of them seemed to have realized that they'd been spied on. It was the female who had spoken, and she repeated, "There are more," in a lower voice that Soma could barely hear.

_Shit._

Soma's mind was racing now, desperately trying to choose between escaping or confronting the strangers. There was a chance, albeit a slim one, that they were the very hunters of the organization Sakaki had been ranting about. Escaping would probably mean that they had to fight their way through, while confronting them without knowing whether they were enemies or allies was also a risky decision. If they were really who Soma thought they were to be, than they couldn't possibly be their allies. And should they battle... Well, he hated this habit of his for thinking too far ahead, but there was no mistake that their abilities were far beyond his party.

He risked a glance at Kota and Alisa, but to no avail, since he was only rewarded by a pair of knotted eyebrows that awaited _his _decision.

Cursing mentally, he stepped out from his hiding place, his muscles ready for action despite his brain instructing him to relax as much as possible. He wouldn't want them to mistake him as one with ill intentions. Soma and Alisa did likewise.

"We're not your enemies," he curtly announced.

Finally now, the Gods Eaters could get a better look on the pair standing still before them. Two cloaked figures stood silently in the dark, their faces covered by the shadows of their hoods, their dark coats bathed in blood. Soma noticed that they were not wearing any armlets, which only popped more questions in his head. How then, did they manage to move like that were it not for the bias factor injected to their cells? Even Gods Eaters could have been considered as normal humans with no strength to control and wield the God Arcs should their bias factor supplies cut short. It was the very essence of their strength and existence to combat the Aragami.

One of them, the male one, raised his lance and pointed it at Soma's direction. The movement caused his cloak to flip and revealed a little of his face. Soma could see a glimpse of cold, threatening red eyes behind the fluttering cloth. "Are you Fenrir's dogs?"

Now, this was just getting worse and worse. Soma fought down a sigh of annoyance and replied calmly instead: "What if we are?"

"Then, die."

The young man lunged at the three Gods Eaters. They had little time preparing themselves in defense due to their difference in term of speed, but the lancer was halted by a shot that was only inches away from his nose before he could manage to deal a blow. He stopped, adjusted his gaze to one direction far from where they were, and stepped back reluctantly. It was a sign to stop from their sniper, it seemed.

The female one spoke to her companion, "Eliminating threats was our order. I don't see how they can pose a threat to our mission." Her voice was cold and had a strange accent to it. French? Irish? Soma couldn't tell.

This time, Kota spoke up. "Hey, wait just a minute! Just what are you guys? This is still in Fenrir's territory, you know! You can't barge in like that!"

Alisa and Soma joined forces to pierce a killing glare at the ever emotional young Gods Eater, warning him not to taunt them further. Getting spotted by them was already bad enough... Citing a fight they very much doubted they could win was, of course, out of the question.

"Territory?" echoed the young man with a mocking tone. Disgust was audibly clear and plain in his voice. Soma eyed the blade of his strange weapon, preparing himself for whatever movement that might endanger his team. "What right do you have to say so? You—the very seeds of corruption of this world—"

"Enough," cut off the cloaked woman sharply. She folded her weapon into a standby mode and turned round. "The cores are ours. We're leaving."

Snorting, the young man complied and turned to follow his companion, folding his weapon to a standby mode too. They were showing their backs. There was no doubt that these two trusted their sniper friend's ability to protect them from harm. None of the Gods Eaters dared to say nor do anything before they were out of their sight.

Alisa was the first to spoke up when they had finally left alone with corpses of the newly slain Aragami. "They are the hunters we've been warned about, right?"

Soma relaxed his stiff muscles and silently thanking the favour they'd been granted with. "Whoever they are, their combat skills surely far exceed us."

"I thought they were going to strike," muttered Alisa darkly.

"Same here. We were just lucky, I guess," put in Soma. He fixed his gaze at Kota, who was still staring at the dark alley where the two had gone to. "And you," he called coldly, "don't you dare taunting the enemies like you did again. You could have put all of us in a death trap."

Kota didn't seem to be paying attention. Instead, he wondered aloud, "Did you guys see how their God A—weapons—work?"

"What of it?" asked Alisa.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but, Alisa, you're not supposed to be able to change your God Arc's mode in mid-air, right?"

"It's impossible," assured the Russian. "The timing and speed for changing mode, although may look pretty fast, do consume time and precision. Changing it in mid-air would only drop me to the ground or worse, cause me to lose my grip on the weapon."

"And did you guys see how they fought?" pressed Kota.

Soma, who was beginning to grasp what was on Kota's thought, gave away a bitter smile. "Heh. It seems our mysterious 'friends' out there have developed weapons based on our God Arc's designs and were able to modify them." And the fact that they were not very fond of Fenrir was something to be noted as well.

"What does this mean, then?" asked Kota.

The tanned Gods Eater rolled his eyes. "It means trouble."


	7. Chapter 5: Blood

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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**Chapter 5**

**Blood**

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30 – 08 – 2075 / 10:04:21

It hadn't been a convinient thing to run into two—or three, if the sniper was counted—hunters in a middle of a deserted sector which had become one of the most popular hunting spots for the Aragami. If it wasn't for the fact that they had almost been forced into combat by the strangers who had earned a nickname of 'Black Cloaks' from Sakaki, than the doctor and Tsubaki's endless interrogative questions were what would fit the criteria of 'one hell of a restless night'—as Kota had put it.

Kota and Alisa were now standing in Dr. Sakaki's office, bracing themselves for another round of questions from the ever curious doctor. Soma was not very lucky, since he had been summoned by the other officers to give further account of what had happened. (More heads, more questions, right?)

"So—what else do you want to hear, Doc?" asked Kota, who was yawning tiredly. Alisa tried her best not to do the same by biting her lower lip. They'd only been sleeping for three or four hours after the mission before their intercoms had awoken them to report in personally to the Director.

Sakaki fixed his glasses with one hand, his other hand busy typing on his computer board, probably inputing all the data the restless Kota and Alisa had been spitting for half an hour. "Hmm," he said, his fingers not stopping on the board, "from the data we've just received from the engineers who have been assigned to study the trap you'd picked up, it seems that their technology is not as friendly as ours. That much we can conclude just by looking at the mechanisms of their traps and weapons." He clicked another button and, as usual, an image popped out on the main screen. It was the trap Soma had brought back to the Den.

"So, what about it?" replied Kota, stretching his arms wide to ease his stiff muscles.

"It is a bomb capable of decapacitating a Kongou. Just imagine how things would turn up should a human stepped on it," noted Sakaki sharply. "And from the video you've managed to record, it seems that the bullets they use are also quite different from what Fenrir has produced so far. Our men are still gathering their combat data from the recording as we speak." Alisa reminded herself that he was talking about a mini camera installed on Kota's God Arc; every long-distance God Arc was equipped with one.

She then chose the moment to voice her concern on one thing that had been bothering her: "How come they are able to fight like that without the armlets?"

Sakaki looked thoughtful. "I can't be so sure of the answer since we currently have no further information regarding this matter, but there's a possibility that they are using a different kind of method to enhance their hunters' strength and powers. It's merely a speculation, but I personally think they inject the bias factor regularly through different means than us."

"Does that mean they have to take regular injections?" asked Kota, horrified at the thought.

"As I said, it's just a possibility," said Sakaki, "so there may also be different kind of methods besides regular injections. But as far as I'm concerned, the techonology of merging the armlets with human bodies is restricted only to Fenrir's First Divison—to which I'm the one who's holding the position as the current leader. I can assure that there should not be any leaks in our research data and intels. Unless some super-smart people figure it out on their own," he added with a humourless smile.

"So, what are we going to do now?" asked Kota. "You must've figured some things out, right?"

"I'd say that we continue to hunt down these New-Type Aragami for a little while longer," replied the Doctor. He grinned at the crumpled faces before him. "The researchers have successfully studied their cores and developed some new inventions out of the materials you've brought back from your hunting missions. Let's just say that by going on this hunt, we're trying to hit two birds with one stone."

Alisa thought for a moment, then said, "But if things keep going on like this and, by any chance, we were to meet them again, I'm not sure they would address us differently by then." They'd been called 'Fenrir's dogs', which was not quite new to them since there were many people who despised and envied them. "I hate to say this, but I'm not even sure the three of us could match them in combat." Especially with their ability to Devour taken.

"We will dispatch more men on the hunt," replied Sakaki with the same grin. Not the type of grin that Alisa would be fond of. The doctor sure had some plans under his sleeves, she thought as she remembered how he had conducted his own research on Shio under the late Director's nose without getting detected for months.

"Which means that this mission will no longer be held secret?" asked she.

"It will not," he confirmed with a nod. "And we have also contacted an... affiliate of ours to aid you in this hunt."

Kota raised an eyebrow. "I never knew we had one." And honestly, so did Alisa.

Sakaki's smile only got broader and more mischevous at their bewilderment—making her somewhat even more bothered by his secrecy. "We will inform you when the time is right. Maybe you will even meet them personally on the field. Much like you guys, they are Gods Eaters, although they do not serve directly under Fenrir." He clapped his hands, which was a gesture he'd often made to indicate that lessons was over. "Now, please go and meet the engineers working on your God Arcs: they have been upgraded, although it was done in a bit of a hurriy because of the demand from our higher ups to resume the mission ASAP. I want you guys to be on standby until this evening."

And so they did as they were told.

It seemed that Fenrir really had taken their mission seriously: their God Arcs had been upgraded to the best of quality they could ever hope with their current technology and raw materials. Not to mention in such a short amount of time, too. Alisa had her shield made lighter and sturdier in favor of speed. Her blade too had been sharpened and the gear had been replaced with a newer one.

Kota's had been upgraded with some new additional barrels, making the long-range type weapon able to switch barrels to make it load faster. In sum, their God Arcs had been specifically made lighter and more deadly. Licca, the young engineer working especially in the field of developing the God Arc, had told them that the materials they'd brought were of terrific use in bringing her concepts of various mechanisms into reality.

"Try deploying your shield by thrusting your God Arc upwards—yes, yes like that," she was saying to Alisa, "and grip it tight on that side. That way, you will be able to cover yourself from enemy's jump attack or missiles coming from above. They have a sniper, right? It should be useful against his missilles." She motioned with her free hand that was not holding a small notepad. "Try to change it again, then."

Alisa changed her weapon into a long-distance mode in one swift movement. Licca grinned sheepishly at Alisa's widening eyes and short, spontaneous laughter. "It's a _lot_ faster than before, right?"

She smiled, both surprised and satisfied at the enhanced mechanism. "It is. I should be able to revert into a ranger and back being a front liner with a single leap now."

Some paces away from the two young women, Kota was practicing on switching between barrels, trying to get used to his new-modeled God Arc. It was now capable of sniping almost in a way similar like how a multiple barrelled cannon worked. He was grinning widely while shooting down some marked targets hung on the other side of the metallic wall, obviously all hyped up. The new installment was stunning, judging on how he could reload the gun while shooting at the same time. That way, it was possible for him to fire continuously in a full three minutes.

"Do mind that you still have to take time to load your gun, though," Licca told her. Alisa nodded and checked the mechanism. "We reconsider on increasing the capacity for more bullets to ensure your flexibility and agility. You see, the higher ups told us to upgrade your God Arcs to suit each of your fighting style in a group mission..."

They were expecting them, the three of them, to be back with more information and satisfying results, then. Of course, they wanted a more remarkable accomplishment. Bringing back dead Aragami was... to say the least, normal. And almost getting slain by some unknown gang did not add up to the term they had in mind of being _successful_. Alisa suppressed a scowl at this. They were simply tools for the higher ups. And as for herself, she had once been a tool out of revenge, and now, out of obedience.

She had been pondering about that lately—especially after Ray's death—and despised the thought more and more as time went on: the thought being a tool for the sake of humanity, that was. A tool in guise of an honorable title as humankind's last defenders. Or so they'd been told to believe.

"... So, it would mean that we could only design your weapon to fit you into the rank of a middle-ranger since you are a New-Type," continued Licca. When she looked up from her board, she smiled at Alisa, whose gaze was still glued on her God Arc. "You were not listening, weren't you?"

She snapped. "What? Uh—I—"

The engineer waved a hand casually, an easy smile on her lips. "It's fine. You guys must be still exhasuted from the mission last night," she interrupted herself and threw a glance at Kota, who was eagerly loading more practice bullets for another round of combat simulation. She corrected herself by saying, "Well, at least _you _are still in need of some good rest." She shrugged. "You can go now. I will take care of the rest and do the maintanance with the crew."

Alisa shot a thankful smile before laying her God Arc into its place and strode out of training room, her shoulders slumped heavily as if she had been forced to wear a backpack full of heavy granites. She needed rest. Very bad.

She knew she did. But her mind and legs carried her to the upper ground instead, taking the elevator which stopped at the 'deck' instead of her quarter despite her bodyly needs to meet a soft bed.

Gentle breeze welcomed her when she stepped into the outside world. It was a bit gloomy today, so there were not so many people bathing in the dim sunlight. There were, though, a few who were chatting or simply relaxing in the area, enjoying their free time. Some Gods Eaters who were not on duty were also there. Alisa waved a hand and smiled in return to people whom she knew who'd greeted her.

Why did she come here? She didn't know. For some fresh air, perhaps. And then again, perhaps not.

It was almost autumn, so colder weather was to be expected. Well, actually the global warming had increased earth's temperature more than it could possibly do in these recent years, but autumn was still autumn: it was way better than suffocating in summer's heat. Also, she kinda liked the idea that winter was about come.

She'd spent last year's winter with Ray, here, in the Den. Eventhough she'd tried to overcome her loss and grief, the hole was still there, widening even, creating more and more darkness within her. She had wondered why. Sure, she had been broken and lost to the blind thought of revenge when her parents had been murdered by the Aragami, and she had also lost everything once again when Lindow had been brifely considered dead. But Ray had been there all along: in a manner of speaking, he had been the sole pillar to support her broken self.

But now, that pillar was no more.

She'd been shattered into pieces. And it was impossible to attach every piece and debris into its former self.

"I thought you'd be here."

Alisa turned to see a blonde girl in blue Fenrir uniform, who was just a bit shorter than herself, walking toward her direction. Anette Koenig. She was the next New-Type Gods Eater from Germany Branch who had been transferred to the Den after Ray and herself, making her and another New-Type boy named Frederico to become Alisa's first juniors ever.

She smiled politely to greet her. "Were you looking for me?" she asked.

Anette nodded, a smile plastered on her face. The girl had this aura of brash yet optimistic persona, and those traits matched her go-all-out-and-devour-'em battle tactics perfectly. If it was not for New-Type's fast regenerative power and enhanced reflexes, she should have been dead in her first mission when she had dashed to combat a Chi You—a bird-like Aragami that was famous for its deadly speed and sharp claws—without waiting for Alisa's command or her other team members. Despite the injuries obtained from the mission, she had never shown any signs of introspection.

Anette shrugged. "I was looking for you yesterday, wondering if you could accompany me on my training, but you were already sent out to go on a mission."

"Oh, I didn't know you were looking for me. I'm sorry."

The European quickly shook her head. "No, no, no, don't need to apologize, senior. It was pretty foolish and forgetful of me not to send message to you first anyway. And, um, are you free this afternoon? If you don't mind, I'd like to see how my skills have improved, so..." Her voice trailed off and her eyes gleamed in both nervousness and expectation.

The Russian nodded, smiling. "All right. I'll do what I can to help."

"Really?" Anette beamed. "Yes!" She threw a punch on the air. As far as Alisa could remember, she had never been the one to conceal her emotions. Unlike _her_.

Amused by her spirit, the older Gods Eater asked, "Why are you so desperate to have me train with you? Don't you train regularly with Frederico?"

"He's been very busy he didn't even reply my message since he was assigned to the 2nd Unit last month," she sighed. "And people tend to avoid sparring with me without any reasons at all."

_For _obvious_ reasons_, Alisa mentally corrected her junior while forcing down a rueful smile.

"I'll see you at one p.m then. Meet me in the lobby," she said, already jogging lightly back to the elevator.

When she was out of her sight, Alisa let out a deep sigh. Right... Now she had something to do, at least, rather than musing over the past that she knew one could never change.

Filling her lungs with fresh air before leaving the deck, Alisa made her way to the veteran's section. She didn't want to go back and rest just yet, but if she were about to spar with someone like Anette, she knew her body would need some recharging to be ready. She could only hope training would cease her mind from events she didn't want to remember.

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xx - 0 - xx

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30 – 08 – 2075 / 11:51:40

A huge sound of explosion from some distance away was caught by Soma's sensitive ears. In the following second, the alarm resounded, startling everyone in the room. And then, the meeting was in chaos.

An officer, who had been asking him a series of questions about his encounter with the cloaked hunters, stood up immediately and shouted, "What happened?"

"Is it an Aragami attack?" shouted a lead scientist, pressing a button on his desk in hope of reaching the staffs who had turned the alarm on.

A female operator's voice answered through the speaker, addressing everyone in the Den. "Attention. The Wall is breached and there's a group of Aragami swarming the Outer Ghetto. Calling for any combat units on standby to depart. Repeat: every unit on standby is..."

Soma was no longer listening. He dashed his way to the hallway, running at full speed and dodging people along the way.

Damn it, he thought. How could the Wall be breached that easily? Was it, then, no longer compatible to the changes and mutation occuring to the Aragami? He remembered the Doctor had said something about that some time ago...

He cursed again. It would only mean than the group of Aragami that had invaded the Ghetto were bunch of New Types. It was going to be a nuisance to battle all of them at once.

He arrived to the garage, a place where they kept all the God Arcs, and ran to grab his. Some Gods Eaters from other units were also there, and they were also moving quickly, preparing themselves as fast as possible before going out. An engineer nodded at Soma and unlocked his God Arc. It had some new attachments to it, and he wondered how they had made it a better weapon in such a short amount of time.

He grabbed it, smiling when he'd found out that the engineers had made it a little bit lighter, and snatched some healing kits from a ransom box nearby and attached an intercom to his ear. He quickly took the emergency elevator along with the other combatants.

No one was talking. Everyone was grim and looked nervous. It had been quite a long time since the Wall had been last breached. It was upgraded regularly with Aragami's cores every day, so an incident when it was finally broken was something they had not thought of.

Once topside, they all burst out from the pod, each heading to a different area just as the operator had instructed through their intercoms a minute before. Soma headed to the east, to combat the Aragami that had been brifely held by the defense squad near the cracked Wall, while some others were running to the Ghetto, betting on luck to arrive in time before the Aragami started devouring unarmed civilians. He thought of Kota for a second, and presumed that he had gone to the Ghetto no matter what order or coordinate he'd received. Soma and the others sped up upon the sounds of battle paces away.

"Get ready," he told his comrades in arms.

They all nodded and made a turn to the right, weapons at the ready.

A small group of Gods Eaters, which only consisted of five people, were battling some Fallen Chi Yous and Vajras. They were almost outnumbered, and Soma could spot three combatants laying bloodied on the ground. Dead.

He jumped forward and thrust his buster blade at the closest foe, a Vajra—before it could react to his presence. His group had the element of surprise—and he successfully plunged the serrated blade deep into its neck before pulling it off. Blood sprayed from the fresh wound and Soma leapt backward, steadying himself after the landing and dashed to another Aragami.

His first kill triggered a battle cry from other Gods Eaters—they were rallying, and he knew they needed their andrenaline to be in control of their actions if they wanted to survive this mob.

Bullets began to be fired, and he ran along the trail—believing in his comrades' aim and leaving his back bare. It was something he'd picked up during these last two years: Trust. Before meeting Ray and the others, he had been someone who would not trust his back to anyone. But he had changed, and so had many things around him.

He dodged a swift attack from an enraged Fallen Chi You, and before he could dash to slash its lower torso, its head was hit by a piercing bullet. It fell dead. He looked upward, to where the bullet had been shot, and spotted Alisa on the edge of a nearby rooftop. She brought some rangers along with her, and wih her hand signal, everyone fired again, while she herself launched from the edge to combat the rest of the predators. Gina, the one eyed sniper, took her role as the main lead of the party.

Soma turned around and unleashed a wide swing that hit an attacking Vajra in the head. He ran to the side of the Wall and scanned if briefly. There was a huge hole in a size of a storehouse there. No wonder so many beasts had managed to get through it.

"Area clear!" shouted one of the Gods Eaters. It was Brendan, a member of the defense squad.

"How many are wounded?" asked Soma. "And how many are dead?"

"Five dead," said Brendan, trying to catch his breath, a dead Chi You behind him. "Seven are critically wounded." He scanned the combatants standing around him. "Which makes us eighteen, then."

"I'd suggest that we spread into three groups," said Alisa, "and focus on guarding the Wall until things have calmed down. One party will hold the line outside of the Wall, the other team shall support from behind. The third party should go on a patrol nearby." He got what she meant: there may be another crack on the Wall.

Soma nodded slowly, followed by Brendan and the others. The third party dispersed, leaving Soma and Alisa's squads on standby. They all jogged lightly to the other side of the Wall, each assuming their own position and readying their weapons. Some of them took the brief moment of peace to tend to their wounds, but they were quickly alerted by a familiar sound. Another wave of Aragami attack. They must have been alerted by of the scent of blood in the air. Soma cursed in a low voice.

"Spread up, guys!" He shouted. "They're coming in groups."

Sure enough, four Kongos appeared from a ruined sector, followed by some smaller Aragami like Ogre Tails and Zygotes. They all had this wild, tempted, look in their eyes, obviously drawn to the scent of blood that must have filled the area.

"Fire!" shouted Gina.

Alisa and Brendan charged together as bullets came raining down. Soma ran to another side and skidded past a few Ogre Tails, his blade moving in a coordinated way as he did so, sliding past their throats and bodies and coloring the ground red. One, two, three, four...

Damn it, he thought. There were too many of them.

More Ogre Tails came running at him, their fangs bared. Some, though, were halted and dropped dead by a round of barrage. Soma welcomed them by slashing and bashing.

Alisa, who was fighting a handful of Zygotes, shouted, "More are coming!"

He could hear a high-pitched roar some feet away on his left. "Kongos!" he informed his comrades.

Brendan approached him as he struck to Ogre Tails on his way. "I wouldn't be surprised if we received a fewer hunting missions in the near future: it seems to me that one third of the Aragami population near the Ghetto has already paid us a visit."

He shot a grim smile. It made sense, seeing how many of them were charging into the Wall right now. The Kongos were in their line of sight now. There were seven of them, and just like their comrades, they all looked hungry.

Before anyone could react to their charge, a barrage of bullets came striking down from above. They all craned their neck to look upward. Against the bright, illuminating sunlight, Soma could barely identify the people standing on a metal platform not so far from where they were.

They all leapt from the edge on their leader's hand signal and landed perfectly on the ground. They were people dressed in a uniform similar to each other, each of them holding a God Arc, and they all wore black armlets with golden lines. There were eight of them, Soma counted. Standing at the very front was a young man with golden hair and solemn expression. His pale skin looked almost white under the sunlight.

"Who are you people?" Brendan managed to ask from a distance.

His question was left hanging on the air as the Aragami started to move towards the new party. Battle ready, they all dashed forward and fought them off. Alisa and Soma exchanged glances for a second, and then nodded to the same conslusion: less talk, more fight.

Soma dodged an attack from a Kongo and leapt backward, and with a skid, he already dashed again to slash at its side. Before he could finish it off, the young man who appearantly was the lead figure of the party rushed from above and stabbed the wounded Kongo in the head. He landed a few steps away from Soma and offered a smile at him, assuming a battle stance to meet another Aragami. It was a smile that could only belong to someone in control, Soma thought. A smile full of pride he'd recognized all too well after spending some time with the higher ups after his promotion.

"You're the leader of this squad?" he asked Soma. His english had an accent familiar to his late father.

He shrugged after manage to deliver a blow to a rampaging Ogre Tail. "And you guys are...?"

"Let's just say we're here to respect our ties and agreement with Fenrir," he replied, his God Arc didn't stop moving, killing Aragami around him with every move it made. "People know us by the name of 'BLOOD.' It is nice to meet you, Soma Schicksal."


	8. ReChapter 2: The Burden of Living

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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**Re - Chapter 2**

**{ The Burden of Living }**

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14 - 03 - 2074 / 23:05:03

Alisa was staring blankly at the scenery of the ghetto at night from her room when a knock on her door pulled her out of her world.

"It's me," a deep, rumbling voice came from the other side of the door.

She didn't move from where she stood for a moment, her mind and body refusing to take action at first, but then forced herself to walk over to the door. She opened it and found Ray standing idly at the doorway, his eyes gleaming in sympathy. Alisa averted her eyes and turned around, allowing him to come into her dimly lighted room. He beckoned her and closed the door behind him.

"I've heard of the mission," he quietly said after a minute of silence.

Alisa nodded without glancing at him, placing one hand on the monitor and traced it, as if trying to reach the life carried by the moonlight outside. He must have, by now. After all, words travelled fast in the Den. Especially words of failures and death.

Ray walked closer to her, perhaps trying to read her expression carefully. "I'm sorry to hear it, Alisa." He hesitated for a moment and shifted his weight to one feet, unsure of what to do. One hand reached out to touch her cheek softly. She didn't protest when he turned her face to meet his.

"I know it must have been painful for you to see your comrades died with your own eyes, but you can't run from the truth." His gaze was tender and his voice barely a whisper, but she felt as if she had just been stabbed in the stomach. "I know it's hard, but you must get over it or you won't be able to lead a team again. No leader is perfect."

A rueful smile came to her lips, hot tears threatened to fall from her eyes but she blinked them away. "You weren't there," she whispered, her voice trembling. "You weren't there. You didn't see it: my cowardice. My helplessness," she croaked, shaking her head. Visions of her last moment with her deceased subordinates were being replayed in her mind as she spoke. "I could have done something. I could have prevented their deaths. I could have—"

Her voice broke hoarse and sobs replaced words. Ray touched her shoulder and moved her closer, holding her without saying anything.

She knew that being Gods Eaters mean facing death every day. She knew that almost every hour, there was, at least, one Gods Eater being slain by the Aragami. But one thing she'd just realized that the burden of their deaths was entirely something else should it be placed on _her_ shoulders. It was an impossible weight to carry. It reminded her too much of the cold grip of guilt that had almost choked the life and sanity out of her after her parents' deaths.

But worse, she didn't want him to be here. She didn't want him to see her like this. Again.

All she wanted to do was to crouch like a ball and swallow the pain alone. She wanted to melt away into nothingness, so she didn't have to face the harsh reality of being held responsible for their deaths. She was tired. Tired, not just of living, but of existing in a world where every course of action seemed to bring more malice and pain rather than laughter and joy.

But no matter how strong was the urge to push him away, she couldn't pull herself to. She kept sobbing quietly instead, wetting his dark shirt with tears that refused to be held. After some minutes, her shaking stopped and her breathing became more stable. She breathed slowly until the strangled feeling left her, but she kept her cheek glued on his shoulder, feeling as if she would break apart the moment his arms parted from her.

"How did you face it?" she asked him in a weak voice that sounded foreign, even to her ears. She clreared her throat. "How did you face things after your first failure?"

Ray tilted his head to one side as he thought. "I was pretty messed up back then." His voice seemed distant, and she knew if she met his gaze, so would his eyes be. She could feel his muscles relaxed, his hands' grip loosened. "I thought like you: measuring what I could have and _should _have done to prevent them from being devoured. I thought that if I had been a better leader and fighter, I could have done something to save them. But then I saw the fact that even without me rushing to their aid, people still die each day. So, I decided that if I wanted to live and atone for their deaths, all I had to do is to become a stronger person so I wouldn't have to face it more often in the future."

The logic suited him. But not her. She could never be able to simply forget the fact that she could have been able to perform better in the mission and therefore, preventing unnecessary deaths. "I'm not as strong as you are," she managed to say softly.

Ray laughed a little. "I am not as strong as you, or anyone might think."

Alisa pulled away from him, just barely so she could stare into his eyes. They glowed gently in the darkness, like green lanterns that carried the soul of gentleness with them. She stared at him for a moment and then said, "I envy you, you know."

"How so?"

"You are honest to yourself, Ray. And that is not something that anyone can do." Of course. Looking back at her old self, who had been consumed by the sole, blind rage toward the Aragami and how she had used to cling to her armor of pride... If anything, she had always been his definite opposite. "I can never be like that. I can never be honest with myself. I always have a feeling... that I'd break if I heard what's burried inside."

"Then don't bother to force it come right away." Ray smiled when she narrowed her eyes. "I mean that you shouldn't push yourself to be honest. Sometimes, people are stronger when they lie to themselves. Not being honest to yourself is different from deceiving yourself, of course." His smile broadened as his eyes glinted. "Remember when I was crammed up against you in that sewer?"

Alisa couldn't help but smile when she reminsced of the event that had occured half a year ago. They had been on a scouting mission in the sewer when a group of Gboro-Gboro had ambushed their team and forced them to divide into two smaller groups in hope of confusing them. They had to hide from the pack of larva-eating-Aragami to avoid detection since they had been outnumbered and had not brought many bullets and supplies with them. And so, they had been forced to hide in one of the tunnels that connected the duct with the outside world.

One of the tunnels, which had been only enough for the two of them to be sitting pressed to each other, then revealed that the half Irish was claustrophobic. Alisa had almost pitied the sight of him then: tense muscles, pale and sweaty face, heavy breathing; desperate. They had spent two hours in there, with her comforting him in an effort to calm him down, and when they were finally out, his face seemed almost like a fried zombie.

She chuckled while shaking her head in glee. "Sorry. Only it was just so funny to watch, is all. If it had been the other guys, I'm sure they wouldn't mind _me,_" she added with a sly touch of humour.

Ray snorted in disagreement. "Maybe. But _I _function differently when being stuck in such a pit."

Still smiling, she asked, "So how did you survive it?"

"I did not focus on the thought that I was isolated, or how I desperately wanted to break something or punch someone in the face," he paused and grinned, "or that I was with a girl. I focused on something else. Something I would've never felt it there were I not pushed until I thought that I was gonna die."

"And that is...?"

"A certain scent carried by someone who happened to be there when I was in my worst nightmare."

She stared at him, bewildered. "You mean..."

"And what parfume did you use again?"

Alisa broke free from his arms, laughing. Ray shrugged.

"Hey, I don't count that as deceiving myself," he said in mock-defense. He sounded far more relaxed now. He leant against the window, hooking a thumb in one of his dark jeans' belt loops. "Isn't it a good thing that I associate your scent with comfort rather than tiny spaces instead?"

"Maybe. But wouldn't it be fun if you had?" she said between her laughter.

He rolled his eyes. "Then I would have to make sure that I buy you a new parfume or I'd have to stay away from you for the rest of my life."

She turned and slipped her hands on his waist, closing her eyes as she pressed her forehead against his shoulder. This time, it was not mere comfort that she sought from his warmth.

She could feel his steady heartbeat fastened a bit the moment she leant in. His fingers slid down her body and he held her by the waist. A scent of detergent, mixed with a thin veil of coffee's filled her nostrils when she inhaled. "And do you know what I've associated your scent with?" she asked.

"Hmm... Let me guess. Amusement?"

"Wrong," she chukled. "Well. Partially true, to be honest."

"Ouch." His head moved to her side, savouring the scent attached to her skin and hair. Alisa almost stiffened when his breath warmed her neck. "So?"

"Life."

"Life?" he echoed, with his head still half buried on her silver hair. "Care to explain further?"

Life is a mixture of both joy and pain. His scent reminded her of that. Sometimes, life presents fears and uncertainties, but it also offers peace and hope when one manages to see it from another angle. He had been there when she'd broken down, and he had also provided her with companionship and assurance.

Eventhough she knew he could not see her face or her expression, her lips curled into a smile. "Maybe sometime later. When you don't seem so distracted and I'm not this tired."

Pulling back, Ray stared into her eyes, his smile fading. He studied her face. "You should rest."

It was not a strange thing to say, after what she'd been through, but she felt slightly uncomfortable when he said it. She was afraid that if there weren't any distractions, the grief and anguish would haunt her again. His touch and scent sent warmth through her body, and he was the only one who was able to distract her now. It was pretty selfish, she knew. And she felt guilty for 'using' him this way.

But, "I... have a silly request." Colors were rising up to her cheeks, and she was glad she hadn't turned on the main lamp. But then again, with their proximity, lighting wouldn't matter so much... would it?

She looked away. "No. Forget what I said. Don't mind it." But she knew he would. Words, after all, could not be taken back once spoken.

"Name it."

"It's silly. Selfish. And childish."

"Is that a warning?" His hand skimmed on the side of her face, his index finger anchored behind her ear to make her look back at him. He fixed his gaze on her. "I don't care what you think. I want to hear it. Is that selfish enough for you now?"

She gave a shaky laugh. She knew she had to now. "Would you," she interrupted herself abruptly and swallowed hard. "Would you stay here until I'm asleep?"

Done. Said it.

She still didn't dare to look at him, but she expected to find amusement or glee in his eyes. Or even mockery, she guessed.

Her guesses were proven wrong the moment he sighed.

"Is that what you call selfish and childish?"

She looked back at him and found his expression tender but serious. He didn't refuse then.

Slowly, Alisa slid her arms off him and walked towards her bed. Ray followed.

She should have felt something. Something like relief, or a feeling that she was indebted to him. But her heart felt as if something cold had gripped it once again, proving her theory to be right: the anguish and grief were going to haunt her again as soon as her mind broke free from whatever distraction it could clutch onto.

She carefully climbed into her bed to lie down, pulling the blanket to cover her body. Ray sat down on the mattress, jostling it a bit with his weight. He leant back against the wall, sitting quietly with one leg bent.

She could feel warmth radiating from him. The silence was only broken by two sets of breathing, and she was glad she'd asked him to stay.

"Sleep," he said, one of his hands moving to her cheek, his cold fingertips brushing her skin lightly.

Mustering a smile of gratitude, Alisa closed her eyes tiredly and fell into a troubled sleep.

* * *

**_A/N : _**_Another Re-Chapter. Re-Chapters play a great role in the plot and contain many things you won't find in normal Chapters. So I don't advise you to skip these._

_As usual, your Reviews are my source of motivation and energy._


	9. Chapter 6: Return of the Deceased

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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**Chapter 6**

**Return of the Deceased**

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30 – 08 – 2075 / 17:43:27

Alisa, Soma and several other team leaders who had been dispatched that noon to engage the Aragami were now gathering in the vast meeting room with Tsubaki standing in the middle. A young caucasian was standing beside her. The Japanese woman had called the meeting to announce their alliance with a special force called BLOOD. The young man, who had introduced himself as Julius Visconti, looked just a bit younger than Soma by height and complexion, observed Alisa. After Tsubaki had done explaining the circumstances they were currently in, Julius gave a speech to further explain about his force in fields of military and technology.

Not much was revealed to them, though, apart from the fact that the Fenrir and BLOOD had been working on mutual agreements until a year ago, which then bloomed into an alliance. BLOOD had once been a part of Fenrir before they'd separated themselves from the organization and became independent. And as far as Alisa could grasp from the minimum information given, Fenrir had BLOOD in contract for some works they couldn't handle on their own. On what kind of agreement, she didn't know.

"That is all you need to know for now," said Tsubaki after a short thirty minutes. "You are all to remain on standby at all times until the mechanics and engineers are done with their work. If things go smoothly, the Wall should function normally again in less than forty hours."

No one had the chance to speak up after that. She dismissed them as soon as everyone had grasped the basic idea that there were things that should be left untouched.

The defense squad were tasked to guard the area near the reparation site for the first three hours, so Alisa and Soma went straight to the longue to brifely rest until it was their turn to guard the Wall. They found Kota sitting on a couch when they arrived, he had been waiting for them it seemed. His face, although a bit pale because of exhaustion, looked relieved. Alisa could only conclude that his family was alright.

"The meeting was not too long, wasn't it?" he asked them when they'd seated themselves. He tossed each of them a can of soda.

Soma snorted as he crossed his legs. "It was not even a meeting. Only a formal social club to briefly introduce a band of new folks."

Alisa nodded in compliance. "The others looked quite shocked to know that there exists a group of Gods Eaters who are not directly under Fenrir," she said almost absently, recalling Sakaki's words of Fenrir having a secret affiliate that had not been announced to public. "But in the end, we don't really know who they really are. It's just the same with those cloaked guys."

Kota folded his hands behind his head and leant back, sighing. "Hah. I stil don't get it. Fenrir's being too reluctant to tell us what they're doing lately."

"It is because we're just slayers needed to combat the Aragami," put in Soma irritably. He gulped down the soda. "They don't need our voice. They don't need to know what we think. They just need our strength and willingness to become guinea pigs for their shitty experiments. We are needed only to kill those monsters lurking out there."

Alisa shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She disliked the term many people used to identify Gods Eaters such as herself and her comrades. It was true that they had been experimented on in Fenrir's attempt to create super-humans who were able to slay the monsters, and that was one of the reasons why so many people usually regarded them simply as killing machines or heartless slayers. But in truth, jealously was more likely the case rather than fear, since Gods Eaters were granted a better life; a life free from poverty and hunger and disease.

"Look," Kota said, standing up, "I don't give a damn on whatever those people in lab suits are doing, but this is pissing me off. The Wall going down doesn't help either."

Just when he'd finished his grumbling, the alarm resounded. They all stood up sharply.

"What is it now?!" shouted one of some of the crew in the longue. It was Tatsumi, a former member of the defense squad who had been promoted into the rank of captain several months ago.

"We have some intruders," Hibari's voice rang through everyone's intercoms as well as the speakers located all over the Den. "Repeat. I've just tracked some intruders in the Den. I'm reading a strange signal from the garage and can't contact anyone down there."

"Is it the Aragami?" shouted Kota as they rushed downstairs to join Hibari and the others. "How many are they?"

The young operator's nimble fingers were busy typing on the board while her eyes were darting to one monitor to the other. "I'm not sure," she said without looking up. "Our cameras in the garage have all been disabled. And—wait, there's also a similar reading from the main lab! First Unit, please go to the garage immediately. Second Unit should go to the lab."

After exchanging glances with the Second Unit led by Tatsumi, they all nodded and ran to the right elevator, leaving the others grunting on standby behind them. The garage was the place where they put all of their God Arcs, so Alisa could only hope that it hadn't been destroyed the moment they reached the area.

The elevator arrived at the deisgnated floor and all of the Gods Eaters quickly ran to the room on their left. The massive door clanged opened and revealed the garage to be in a messy state. No, 'messy' wasn't the right word. Chaotic, maybe. Or even horrifying.

Engineers were laying on the ground—some were already dead; while some others were bloodied, badly injured, no doubt—while a quarter of the God Arcs stored in the room had been broken. There were no Aragami corpses nor any signs of them being down there.

Kota and Alisa ran to the nearest engineer to where they stood. The man was clutching to his side, writhing in agony. He was still breathing, but obviously wouldn't last long judging from the pool of blood spreading beneath him. Soma stood idly, his eyes searching for clues and other survivors in the area.

"Hey, hang on, old man!" said Kota as he knelt beside the man.

His unfocused eyes glinted a bit when Kota touched his shoulder. With some difficulty, he pointed his index finger weakly to the opened door leading to one of several hallways. "He... ran that way," he managed to say with a cough.

"_He_?" Alisa mused aloud.

The engineer's face was starting to lose its colors when he spoke again. "An intruder," he breathed. He coughed some blood again and continued, "Human... With a God Arc... Stole our... newest cores..." And with that, his hand fell to his side and life faded from his eyes.

"Move," Soma grimly ordered. He was already running to grab his own God Arc, which was still intact and attached to its case. Alisa and Kota grabbed their own and dashed to follow the tanned Gods Eater, their minds racing in thoughts.

There was no time to grieve nor to think, now. If what the engineer had said was true, than they must capture the thief fast. Without the cores collected from the Aragami, they could never create or upgrade any God Arcs.

"I'll go this way!" shouted Soma as he took the route to his left where the hallway branched into two. Alisa and Kota took the other route without decreasing their speed. At the end of the hallway was one of the two elevators leading to the top soil. The culprit should not have any choice but to take one of the elevators to get himself back to the upper ground. But when they'd spotted the pod at the far end of the hallway, the lights suddenly wenf off.

"'The hell?!" shouted Kota, stopping abruptly when darkness engulfed the area. "I can't see a thing!"

"They're shutting down the electricity," said Alisa darkly. A clever move indeed. It meant that they couldn't use the elevator now to pursue the culprit. But neither could he if, by any luck, was still down here.

She blinked several times until her eyes adjusted to the dark, then resumed her march with Kota running behind her. A flash of blue shone brifely in the dark. Alisa jumped to her right instinctively. A loud noise of metal crashing resounded several feet from where she stood.

It was a piercing bullet.

"You like to play in the dark, huh?" hollered Kota as he readied his God Arc. Alisa did the same. "Show yourself, coward!"

Another round of bullets came at them. Alisa and Kota deployed their shields and defended themselves from the barrage. It was a strategic move, she thought. By chance, it seemed that they arrived just before the culprit managed to escape to the upperground. Then he must have been aware that he was being chased, and so he chose to eliminate his chasers first before going up. Fighting in a small room such as in a moving elevator never seemed like a good idea for someone who was in a great hurry. And to be noted, the power reactor was not located on this floor—so there had to be someone else who had just shut it down.

Kota quickly fired back as soon as the barrage ended. Alisa changed her God Arc into a close combat mode and dashed forward. She could see a figure with a God Arc shielding himself from Kota's bullets not too far away from the elevator's door. With a dash, she plunged her blade onto the shield, making a loud noise that resounded through the empty hallway. She attempted another slash, but the intruder moved faster and sent her flying with a movement of his shield.

Alisa landed lightly on the ground after balancing herself in mid-air, then quickly dashed forward once again to engage him in a close combat. But this time, it was not sturdy metal of shield that met her blade; it was a sharp metal of a long sword.

"What?!" Kota's voice echoed behind her back, voicing the word that just rang on her mind.

Did it mean that the intruder was also a New-Type Gods Eater?

There was no time to ponder about things. They traded blows afterwards.

Alisa's hand numbled with each blow; He was too strong. And fast.

"Get away!"

Alisa heeded to the familiar voice and leapt backward, allowing an opening for Soma to bash at the intruder and cracking the floor open. He managed to dodge it, she saw, and then changed his God Arc into a long-range type. It was then she realized that he was armletless.

"He's one of _them_," she gasped.

Soma deployed his own shield when their opponent began firing. "Figures," he spat.

This was bad. If they kept on defending, he'd reach the elevator in a matter of seconds. The bullets were just another way to make sure that none of them could get in his way to the upper ground. They had to do something, and she had to make a move. Fast.

Alisa broke into a run with her shield raised, welcoming the barrage. She didn't stop running despite the knocking force on her shield forcing her to back down, and when she was sure she'd gotten close enough, she ducked her head low and changed her weapon into its blade mode. She unleashed a wide swing at his feet, and though it missed, the attack served its purpose to distract him and stop him from firing.

"Now!" she shouted.

"Gotcha!" Kota fired again. This time, he used beams to have a better aim at the target. It nearly hit the culprit in the arm, but he managed to dodge and it ended as a mere scratch instead. She had to admit, this guy had some agility.

Soma charged again, and it was soon two close combatants versus one. The culprit was fast, but with the incoming beams and two adversaries, he had no choice but to defend more often. Alisa was trying to get into his side when he leapt back—so quick she almost didn't see it, so powerful it sent him feet away from the rest of them in a mere second—when a flash of yellow brighted the hallway with a loud booming sound. A stun grenade.

She heard Soma screamed and fell with a loud thump. It must've hit him.

Kota yelled his name but it soon evolved into a cry of pain. The culprit had used the momentum to shoot him down, it seemed. She was the only one who was still standing now.

Wasting no time and paying no attention to her buzzing ears and slightly blurry vision, she launched herself again to the fleeing figure ahead of her. The elevator was only a few steps away from him. He was lashing his blade at her with a swift movement and it scratched her left arm, weakening her grip on her God Arc. He changed into a long-range mode in a flash and was about to fire at her while walking backward into the elevator.

Moving on instinct, Alisa swung her blade upward while running at him, knocking the tip of the barrel off balance the shot missed her head only by several inches. But then a sharp pain throbbed her right shoulder.

It was a gunshot.

She tried to straighten up but her muscles refused to. Her body felt numb and she fell down to the floor, with her God Arc beside her. Her lungs felt as if they were burning, forcing her to gasp in order to breathe.

The bullet on her shoulder must have been imbued with some kind of poison to ensure that it disabled any person shot by it—even if the bullet wasn't nested in the victim's vital organ. She gritted her teeth as she once again tried and failed to get up. She was so close to the elevator and the culprit—whose back was pressed against the metal door—she could almost feel his every movement as well as his breaths above her head. She heard a faint snort and his breathing steadied. Then a click.

"Turn it on. I'm going up."

His voice was deep and cold. Masculine and low-pitched.

And familiar.

The lights were turned on immediately; sounds of machines and gears being acitvated rumbled throughout the place, shaking the floor with a faint tremor. The elevator's door slid open.

Alisa forced herself to look up now that she could see everything clearly in the light. The intruder, who was wearing a black coat, had already stepped inside the pod the moment she saw his back. There was no symbol on his coat that could signify his allegiance, and she noticed that he had a short, tousled, dirty blond hair.

He turned slowly to face her, raising his left hand which was still holding a gun. The barrel was now aimed at her head.

Alisa's eyes widened at the sight of the face she recognized all too well. Unconsciously, she mouthed his name—the name that had once been dear to her, the very name that she'd been avoiding to say for months:

"_Ray_."

He fired.

* * *

xx - 0 - xx

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30 – 08 – 2075 / 18:43:10

The elevator moved to the upper ground and stopped with a loud clanking sound. The black coated man fired at some guards waiting for him with deadly accuracy and speed. He ran through some blocks, firing both his gun and the newly-designed God Arc to anyone who stood in his way. There were some shouts. Loud steps coming after him.

He leapt onto a nearby rooftop through an opened window in the hall, shooting yet more guards below his feet. He felt air rushing around him as he made another powerful leap, his coat fluttered in the cold wind. His eyes, which were glowing red in effect of the boiling implanted cells, grasped the expressions of awe and fear the guards and people below him gave away. He must have looked as if he was flying to them.

Scanning the roofs beneath him, he landed on a flat rooftop and leapt again until he arrived on a tall onlooking tower near the Wall. A corpse of a guard he'd killed before infiltrating the Den was still there. He turned around and cast a glance at the fortress.

It was in chaos. Some of the lights were off. Shouts were audible, as well as gunshots and barking orders from the veterans. His companions, then, must have done their job perfectly. He checked his wristwatch. He was late by four minutes from the time they'd agreed to rendezvous, yet they were all still not there—

"Sorry I'm late," a feminine voice called.

He jerked his head to the side just in time to see a cloaked figure landed softly beside him. The figure pulled her cloak off, revealing her wavy light brown hair and smooth face.

He lifted one shoulder. "I've got the cores," he said.

She looked at him in the eyes, but then her gaze fell to his arm. "You're wounded," she said. It was not a question.

"Just a scratch." He returned her gaze to the Den. The scene before him was almost foreign to him; he used to gaze _from _the Den's outlook to its surroundings and not the reversed. He'd thought that he would feel something familiar upon coming back here, but he felt nothing. "Have you got the data, Karen?" he asked without looking at her.

She nodded and produced a chip in size of her thumb from her pocket. "The lab was thinly guarded, just as you've predicted."

"It has always been so. Fenrir has a lot of pride when it comes to security."

"The map you've drawn is a little inaccurate, though."

He looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. "Oh?"

"There are some rooms they've reconstructed and moved. Not to mention that there exist some hallways that aren't present in your map."

"Spare me," he said in a flat, mocking tone. "It's been a long year and it is no wonder the Den's got larger and more complex by now."

Her eyebrows went up. "You're sure it was not because of your bad memories?"

"You would not have spotted the main generator should it was the case."

Their conversation died down the moment two figures clad in black were on their lines of sight. They leapt from one rooftop to another and landed on the top of the tower. The bigger man spoke up, "Everything went well. Except that Cain spent our precious three minutes and a half just to kill the fleeing white coats."

The fourth cloaked figure snorted, his red eyes gleaming dangerously in pure anger and hatred. "I'm doing our generation a favor by killing those mad scientists."

"Enough," Karen raised one hand. Cain mumbled some foul words before going silent. She turned to the blond. "Your order, Max?"

He walked past them and stood at the edge, his eyes scanning the Wall which still hadn't functioned properly due to the Aragami attack some hours ago. "We have all we need. We shall go back."

His three companions nodded and leapt, dissapearing into the blackness of night on the other side of the Wall. He looked back at the massive fortress for a moment and whispered,

"For now."

Before launching himslef on a great leap.

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xx - 0 - xx

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_**A/N : **Sorry for the short chapter. Actually, I've planned this chapter to appear before Re-Chapter 2, but I changed my mind. And how's it? Can you read the plot yet? I've written all the clues in the previous Chapters and Re-Chapters, so I figure that you might have, by now... :)_


	10. Chapter 7: Pieces of the Truth

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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**Chapter 7**

**Pieces of the Truth**

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02 – 09 – 2075 / 08:23:05

Alisa woke up with a gasp. Her body stung as if it had been electrified and her shoulder throbbed, reminding her that she'd been shot _twice._

She carefully slid one hand and skimmed on her shoulder, realizing that it had been bandaged and cared for. She tried to breathe normally, filling her lungs with air and letting it go again, imagining the air cleansing her hazy mind. Looking at her surrounding, she finally realized that she was, once again, in the sick bay. She searched for any time indicator devices and found a clock hanging on the wall.

_How long have I been unconscious_, she mused inwardly as she leant back and rested her head. But before she could think of anything else, memories of her dream danced in her mind, forcing her to blink hot tears away.

She had dreamt about her chasing after Ray through some sort of a maze. She had been running in her dream, shouting his name at his back. Alisa had followed him when he had turned and gone into a dark alley, only to find him with a gun pointed at her. Her point of view then had changed into the time when she'd been lying on the cold floor, staring up helplessly into his cold eyes.

She burried her face in both hands, letting a dry sob escaped her lips. She was unable to think properly. Her heart ached. Her stomach felt as if twisted.

Was that really him? No, she knew it _was_ him. His face, his voice, they were all the same. Only his hair color seemed to be different.

But how could he be alive? And more intriguing yet, what had become of him?

"You're awake?"

Kota's voice startled her. She turned at the source of the voice and noticed that he'd been standing at the doorway, watching her with tired eyes. There were dark circles around his eyes, an unusual sight. His right hand was hung in front of him, bandaged, and he looked as if he hadn't been sleeping nor eating for days. It would only mean that he must also have seen the intruder's face at that time.

"I'm not," she weakly answered. She shook her head while moving one hand to cover her face from view.

Kota walked over to her bed and sat on a chair nearby, his pale face serious, his eyebrows tauted. "No wonder," he said. "You got shot twice with that kind of bullet. It was mere luck that I was able to prevent it from making a hole in your head. Soma's still unconscious, by the way."

It was true. If it wasn't for Kota's desperate attempt to save her, the shot had probably hit her in the forehead. Soma hadn't been so lucky. A stun grenade had directly hit him in the head; she didn't even want to imagine the impact should it were to explode anywhere near her.

Alisa managed a dry laugh through laced fingers. "I'm not in a jovial mood, Kota."

Her physical wounds didn't matter much. What she couldn't dismiss was Ray's expression when he had looked down on her: disgust. Pity. And worse, hatred.

Questions and doubts lingered in her mind. There were so many things she needed to know. So many things she needed to confirm. "Hey," she called, "can you please help me? I want to go to Dr. Sakaki's office. Now."

Kota's expression darkened at her request. "In that condition?"

"That's why I need you to help me."

She knew she was being selfish, but she couldn't stay still anymore. Not after everything that had happened. If there was someone who could, and would be willing to, explain the circumstances they were in, then Sakaki would be that someone. By the look on Kota's face, he wasn't about to object either. He, too, seemed to be in desperate need of answers.

"Fine," he said, slowly nodding and getting up to his feet. He helped Alisa to get up from her bed and carefully lifted her weight with his good arm, sliding a hand to her waist.

Alisa ignored her aching muscles screaming against the movement and forced her feet to follow Kota's. Some of the people in the sick bay glanced at them, and some were trying to stop them, but they didn't pay any attention to them. Kota glared at the nurses who were trying to block their way. They cowered away.

It took several minutes for them to reach Sakaki's front door office. For Alisa, though, it'd felt like forever. Kota pressed a button attached at the side of the door, but he didn't wait for him to answer. "Hey, Doc, I know you're in there," he sternly demanded, almost shouting. His voice was hoarse from the lack of rest. "Open the damned door already!"

Some seconds passed in silence before a mechanical sound cracked. The door slid opened, allowing them entrance to the messy office.

Sakaki's back was facing them when they had entered the room. He was standing before the largest monitor in his room that was attaced to the wall, it's pitch black screen reflecting his rare-to-be-seen serious face. "I've figured you would come," he said without turning back to greet his guests.

Alisa steadied herself while trying her best not to lean on Kota for support. "You know about it," she stated. "You know that it _was_ truly him."

"I've seen the footage of the attack before the intruders destroyed the cameras," the Doctor calmly said. "There were four intruders. It seems like each of them has been tasked differently. One of them, who managed to escape with our newest cores, indeed has a close resemblance to our former leader."

The word 'former' almost made Alisa flinch, but for Kota, the impact was on a different level. His irritation was plain to see as his face twisted in fury and hissed, "Resemblance my ass! It _was_ him, alright! You're just hiding things from us!" He began to shout. "I knew there was something off about things when you asked us to complete those foolish missions! You know more than you show, especially about the Black Cloaks and—"

Sakaki whirled to face them in a flash, his sharp gaze cutting through Kota's words. "I _do_ know things that you don't," he said in a low voice as if threatening, "and it is completely up to me to share those things with you."

If he was trying to silence him, then the effort failed. Kota's glare intensified with each passing second Alisa could feel his anger radiating from his skin. "Yeah?! So, you want us to be silent, obedient good kids after we've seen a supposedly dead comrade walking and breathing with our very eyes?!"

"Doctor," Alisa said in a weak whisper before he could reply to Kota's harsh words. They didn't come to debate, but for answers. And answers were unlikely to be given should she let Kota continue lashing his frustation at Sakaki. "Please. I... _We_ need to know the truth." Sakaki was silent, so she took it as a signal to continue. "I'm certain that one of the intruders _was _him. It wasn't a mere resemblance."

Sakaki raised his eyebrows skeptically. "And how can you be so sure that it was him? A former lover's intuition?" he mocked with a blank face.

Kota was about to retort again, but Alisa's grip on his supporting arm tightened. She tried her best to ignore the flickered anger and kept her voice calm. "I'm not here to listen to your contradictions about the intruder's identity. What I want to know is, what had become of Ray after his body had been taken for autopcy."

Beside her, Kota looked surprised. Sakaki, though, remained stoic.

This was a question she had been asking herself for the first three months after his death. After her last moment with Ray—who had been placed inside a capsule—no one had ever told her what had become of his body. They'd only held a ceremony the following day. When asked, Tsubaki and some officers had said that his body had been taken for Fenrir's further research regarding the New Types and she had believed it.

Until now.

"You will not be satisfied by getting the same reply Tsubaki gave you, will you?" said Sakaki. Alisa didn't answer. He let out a frustated sound and turned away from the two, pacing a few steps. "I knew this was going to happen," he sighed, almost to himself. When he turned back, his cheeks were splotchy. Alisa couldn't evem remember ever seeing the Doctor's placid face changed color before.

"New Types," Sakaki began, "are strange anomalies to us humans. They are bestowed with incredible powers: their cells able to receive and blend in with the Aragami cells better than normal Gods Eaters, and they adapt well to any kind of circumstances. For instance, their bodies are able to adapt to various kinds of environment in just mere hours."

Alisa thought of the time when she'd been first transported to the Den. The climate was far warmer in here compared to her homeland, Russia. But she had been able to adapt well to the heat in just two days without deyhidration. She hadn't considered it odd before.

"Their cells are also able to take in the bias factor differently. For normal Gods Eaters, bias factor is only injected to ensure that the Aragami's cells inside their bodies do not take over their 'normal' cells. But since New-Type Gods Eaters' cells have blended with the Aragami cells, normal bias factor injection is not intended to ensure that."

"Then," said Kota, "why do they still need it?"

"It's to ensure that their developed cells _don't_ mutate more than they already have. And to tell you the truth, there are so many things we still don't know about them, which is why we conduct so many experiments and tests to fully enchance their abilities. Even the Resonance, a phenomenon only New Types can experience, is still a mystery to us."

Alisa hesitated for a moment. She had only experienced it twice, this Resonance. With Ray. The first Resonance had managed to wake her up from her comatose state, and the second one had successfully enabled him to see through her dark memories.

"So," the Doctor said, "Tsubaki was being truthful when she told you that Ray's body had been taken for further research."

"But that was—that _is _not the whole truth, is it?" she carefully said.

A humourless smile was playing on his lips. "You will not be happy to hear the _whole _truth."

"Is that a warning?" hissed Kota through gritted teeth. "Whatever it is, I want to hear it. If my friend's been revived—and turned against me—then I want to know what's behind all this."

"I want to hear it, too," Alisa put in. Her entire body tensed, but she shoved her fears and anxiety aside. "Please."

The doctor eyed them for some seconds and then closed his eyes tiredly. "Why kids these days are so demanding?" he sighed. "But with things as they are now, I guess you guys do have the right to know of our... of _Fenrir's_ errors.

"As you have heard from me before, not all scientists are favored by Fenrir. Only the best of minds are able to climb in the rank, and those who are specialized in a particular area that would bring benefits to Fenrir—and humanity—are granted more privileges when doing research. I, for example, have always been devoted to my research on Aragami cells and earned quite a position for myself. But of course, not every research brings the fruits that we seek."

Alisa had heard of a certain failure before. Ray had told her after their battle against Nova. It had been the very same research that took the life of Soma's mother after his birth, and appearantly, Dr. Sakaki had also been a part of that project.

"Not too many years ago, a group of elite scientists found a way to construct a new kind of bias factor from the data left by some genetics stored in Fenrir's old database," he continued. "Their proposal was rejected though, since the materials they needed to test their hypothesis were quite unsual, not to mention inhumane."

Realization hit Alisa. "_Corpses_," she breathed.

Sakaki slowly nodded. "But not of normal humans. They need the bodies of genetically-enhanced humans—people who have been injected with the bias factor."

"Wait, wait, wait" said Kota hastily. "You're switching to present tense."

Sakaki shrugged. "Why, of course. The research was rejected by most of the officers that time, but it doesn't mean those scientists have stopped on their tracks. You know them as—"

"Fenrir's Ex-Researchers," muttered Alisa darkly.

"Yes. Even after their proposal was rejected, those people didn't stop on conducting their experiments in secret. They allied themselves with some mercenaries who were willing to gather Gods Eaters' corpses in exchange for money until Fenrir finally found out. Then, they were kicked out of Fenrir, just as you've already guessed. For two years, we thought that they've disbanded and given up on their mad research. But they haven't. They formed a group of their own and continued their research underground. It was just a year ago that we received a word from them."

"They contacted Fenrir after being kicked out?" asked Kota, bewildered. "Why?"

"There were two reasons: to boast of their success of developing a new type of bias factor, and to ask for a trade."

Pieces of a puzzle in Alisa's mind clicked as she thought things through. Ray's autopcy being held in secret, the officers forbidding her to see his body afterwards... Now it all made sense. "They asked for a New-Type's dead body," she voiced her theory aloud.

She could feel Kota's muscles tense at her words, but she didn't dart her eyes off Sakaki's. The doctor's jaw stiffened, she saw. He was getting uncomfortable.

"You're too sharp for your own good sometimes," he said, his voice rumbled with uneasyness. "Yes; they did ask us for a New-Type specimen. In exchange of a certain information we've been looking for. Of what, I can't tell you. We had been reluctant at first, but they were able to convince us with evidents that their research was going quite well, even without our support. But then, it turns out that they have a secret agenda. Our suspicion was then proven true, as they did not contact us again after the trade was successful. But since they hadn't broken any agreements, we could not attack nor sue them."

"So you sniffed on what's left of their works," Kota concluded. "That was why you ordered us to investigate, right? Under a cover of the New-Type Aragami anomalies."

Again, the Doctor only smiled. Turning his gaze to Alisa, he said, "It was quite hard to obtain evidents and trails of their research, especially after they'd left us. But then, the Russia Branch called us, saying that they've finally found some data buried in their unused folders. It was about their late project which cast them out of Fenrir."

"_A-deen _Project," mumbled Alisa unconsciously.

"Yes. I went to Russia—along with you, Alisa—with a secret task from the higher ups to investigate more of this newfound data. But what we didn't know that the system had already been sabotaged. They contacted us right after we gained access to the data, and sent us a tantrum."

"What did they demand?" asked Kota.

"That we hand over our current data of our bias factor. We declined, of course. But they persisted, to the extent of threatening us by sending a record of their... exceptional success."

Kota's eyes widened. "By success, do you mean—"

"Reviving dead cells, yes," Sakaki said.

Alisa swallowed hard, unsure of what to take from the new information. Ray was alive—revived, to be exact—yet turned into a mere tool by his 'saviours.'

She wanted to cry at the revelation, yet a part of her wanted to scream in frustation. She disliked the idea of him being brainwashed to hate everyone in Fenrir, but Ray's eyes at that time were filled with concealed hatred and anger it must've been personal. There were still too many questions dancing in her tired mind...

"That is all the information I can leak to you for now," Sakaki said as he turned away from them, his hands were clasped behind his back. "If I were to guess, their infiltration proved at least two things for now: one, is that they've grown in number and strength; and two, their hostility is not going to go unreturned. The Black Cloaks have been blacklisted by the higer ups. They have been declared as a threat to Fenrir."

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02 – 09 – 2075 / 15:03:11

A faint sound of metal door sliding open awoke Ray. He heard a click, and the pale blue liquid keeping him afloat in the pod where he was being kept in was slowly drained. He felt nothing when a needle on his spine was automatically removed. The glass opened and he stepped outside of the pod. Two men clad in white coat stood before him, one of them was holding a clipboard.

"We have a mission for you," said the older one of the two. Ray stood silently, waiting.

The younger scientist moved around him and tapped a machine the size of his palm onto his spine. It produced a beeping sound after it was pressed lightly against his bare skin. The scientist wrote something on his clipboard after removing the machine, taking notes of his condition. After he was done, he nodded to his companion. "He's good to go."

The older one returned his gaze to Ray. "You, along with number three and four, are to infiltrate a site known as Aegis and retrieve the mother computer's chip."

"The area is thinly guarded, I recall," the other man added.

"You have permission to shoot down anyone who gets in the way," said the older one. "Number three and four will act as decoys while you do your best to get inside and do as you're told."

Ray blinked slowly and then nodded.

"Good," he said. He checked his wristwatch. "Get prepared soon. You will depart in thirty minutes."

He exited the dimly lighted room through a different door than the white coats had taken, and proceeded through a dark hallway until he got into a vast, white room. Two of his colleagues, Karen and the gigantic man known as Larg, were alredy there. Their plain white outfits and hair were wet, just like him; a sign that they'd just been released from their pods too. None of them bothered to exchange glances, and he went into a small chamber to dry himself and change into his dark battle outfit.

He paused when he was changing his bandage over his right wrist and stared at the mark where the armlet had been forcefully removed before. His thoughts briefly drifted to the moment when it had been destroyed. The pain had been too much he'd lost his consciousness twice in twenty four hours, succumbing into the madness imbued in his cells.

"You're done, Max?" asked Karen.

He immediately slipped both hands into his black coat and got out from the chamber. He nodded at Karen and Larg, who had been waiting for him, and motioned for them to grab their weapons from the emerging metal cases at the center of the room.

Larg scowled as he picked up a hammer-like God Arc. "Infiltrating Aegis means dealing with more Gods Eaters stationed there." He turned to face Ray, who was checking on his long blade. "We are ordered to kill anyone who gets in the way."

He didn't reply nor look at Larg. Changing the God Arc into a newly-modeled long-barelled gun in one smooth motion, he measured its weight by swinging it and aiming at the wall. "I don't mind. Just do whatever's neccessary," he finally said.

"I thought we've agreed not to talk about the past anymore," put in Karen. She'd grabbed a short blade from its case and was examining its mechanism. "How's your wound, Max?"

"Fully healed," he answered.

"It's rare to see you getting hurt," she commented lightly. "You must've encountered some of their elites there."

Ray lifted one shoulder casually to dismiss the remark. He grabbed a handgun as he turned to the elevator at the corner of the room and shoved it behind his coat. Most of his opponents would be humans, so he knew he was going to need it. "Let's go. We have another fortress to infiltrate."

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_**A/N : **__Finally moving to the real plot!_

_Next Chapter's leaks: Alisa and Ray clash. _


	11. Chapter 8: The Encounter

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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**Chapter 8**

**The Encounter**

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03 – 09 – 2075 / 01:010:07

"Max!"

Upon Karen's warning, Ray spun around, with both weapons drawn, and jumped to his left to avoid incoming bullets. He shot twice, and two guards fell. He stood up sharply and aimed at his right with his gun, waiting for more targets to appear. But none came. Instead, it was Larg who appeared at the corner. Swinging by his side was his hammer-like-God-Arc that had been stained by blood. Ray dismissed the tought of what the leftovers of the giant's work would be like.

"The area is cleared," Larg said. "We can move according to plan now."

It had taken them only five minutes to get into the fortress of Aegis. The armed guards stationed there had proven to be nothing for the three. They had made their way to the center of the island without a scratch or loss of breath. Their mission was to bring back the mother computer's chip located far below their feet, and so, far deeper into the isolated area.

Karen pointed to the right side with her gun and said, "I'll go this way. Their reinforements should have probably arrived by now. I'll take care of them."

"Then I'll guard this entrance," added Larg. "Go and grab the chip, Max. We have only forty minutes before the bomb explodes."

Ray nodded. He ran across the vast area where he and some other Gods Eaters had claimed victory over Director Schicksal almost three years ago. It was also the place where he had fought Lindow in his Aragami form and brought him back to life by a miracle performed by Ren, the former leader's personified God Arc. Flashes of memories flickered in his mind as he dashed through the area and climbed down a set of staricases as he preferred not to take the elevator in fear of getting trapped inside were the island's electricity to be cut down.

Yet he felt nothing. There was no longing nor there were any bitter feelings.

He had expected that he would, at least, feel something tugging at the back of his mind—or heart, if it still existed deep within—when he had heard the name of Aegis. But once again, he had been wrong.

He jumped from a platform to a lower ground and landed softly, making a quick calculation as he moved stealthily in the darkness. Five minutes to get him deeper into Aegis, five more to extract the chip from the massive computer. Ten minutes should be enough, he decided.

It was pitch black down there, but he could still see everything well thanks to his enhanced vision. Above his head, sounds of metal clashing and gunfires were faintly audible. It had started then: more of Fenrir's dogs had arrived.

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03 – 09 – 2075 / 01:14:04

A group of Gods Eaters made a sharp turn at the end of the hallway, their shields at the ready. Alisa and Kota were among them.

The resounding alarm had awoken every dweller of the Den some minutes ago. No one had expected the Black Cloaks to make a move again in such a short period of time after their last attack. Many were still physically recovering from their last assault, and some were still grieving over the loss of lives caused by the Aragami and the intruders' bold assault. Tsubaki had ordered the wounded to stay on standby at the Den, but she had eventually yielded to their insistance of going—much to Kota's 'plea', actually.

"I can't believe those guys," hissed one of the Gods Eaters in the party when they came across some dead bodies lying on the metal floor. They had no time to stop and inspect. Alisa averted her eyes as she ran. "What are they, anyway?"

"Who knows," said Gina, the one-eyed sniper. "All we know is that they pose a great threat to us and although little in number, they're fearsome in battle."

Beside Gina, Alisa ran with a heavy heart as she instructed her brain to block every comment she had heard about the Black Cloaks. Kota did the same, judging from the hardened epxression he rarely wore. After all, Ray being one of those 'fearsome' people was a suspicion that was not leaked to public. She didn't dare to imagine what would their reactions be upon hearing the news.

She had locked herself in her room soon after they had left Sakaki's office. Doubts, anger, depression and frustation had been lingering in her heart, confusing her even more. What would she do if she were to meet him again? What should she say? And more importantly, how would _he _react?

Out of instinct, she had selfishly wished for a chance to see him again. She _had _to.

And granted, the emergency call that had awoken everyone in the Den thirty minutes ago presented her with the chance.

"Incoming!" shouted a Gods Eater the second they had arrived on the second entrance toward the hall of Aegis.

Everyone dispersed and deployed their shields to block the missiles. Alisa jumped to one side, her shield thrusted upward, and threw a stun grenade. It exploded with a flash, and in the blinding light, she could see a slim figure moving to evade the explosion. A woman?

Kota and all other long rangers began firing. Many of them missed far from target, however. It was, after all, their first experience on battling a human enemy with their Gods Arcs.

Forcing her body to move, Alisa dashed forward and engaged the figure in close combat. This time though, she could see her opponent's face clearly since she wasn't wearing anything to conceal her identity.

She was a young woman in her early twenties by appearance. She has a long, wavy light brown hair and dark red eyes.

Dark red.

The same color as Ray's.

The same eyes that had regarded her with disgust and hatred.

With one smooth movement, the intruder swung her God Arc free from Alisa's and leapt backward. Staggered, Alisa jumped to one side and changed her weapon into long range mode and fired. The intruder dodged every bullet aimed at her by running and leaping, so quick the Gods Eaters only saw a blur of her God Arc swinging and slashing.

"What is it that you guys want?" shouted one Gods Eaters while firing. "What do you have against us?"

She didn't reply and began firing back at them.

"It's useless to talk to a murderer, huh?" spat another combatant irritably while defending himself with his buckler.

Alisa and Kota, who already had the experience of dealing with the Black Cloaks, didn't try to defend more than they needed to—knowing full well that the only way to break her fierce barrage is to attack back without waiting for any momentums. "Everyone who are equipped with tower shields should focus on defense and make a line of barrier!" Kota shouted. "Rangers, move behind them and fire back!"

The Gods Eaters moved according to his instructions: creating a layer of defense by lining up their tower shields with the rangers behind them. They were preparing to fire.

"Close combatants, move!" Alisa shouted as she leapt forward while changing her weapon's mode. Three Gods Eaters followed her example.

The two young women fell on each other again then, sparks flying from their blades as they clashed. But despite the intruder's superior strength and agility, she had to constantly changed stance between defending, attacking and firing since she was pressed from all sides. From there on, they gained momentum.

The intruder was, like Ray, a deadly opponent who could easily evade the rain of bullets and change her weapon in a flash to counter their blows. But there was something in her battle tactics that gave away her fierceness: She was solely focusing on defense and eliminating anyone who were in the area. _She was guarding the entrance to the lower level_, Alisa thought. It would only mean that there were more of them underground. This woman, then, must've served as a guard as well as a time buyer for her comrades.

She had to make an opening to get through her, and it would not be an easy task, judging from her speed and combat ability. If Alisa were to face her in a one-on-one battle, she knew she'd be killed in mere seconds.

"Get away!"

Alisa and the other Gods Eaters quickly distanced themselves from the intruder upon Soma's warning. The tanned Gods Eater came down from a higher platform, bashing onto the floor with his buster blade just inches away from where the intruder had been. The floor cracked open.

"Alisa! Go!" Soma said as he charged again.

Changing her weapon into a long range mode, the intruder attempted to aim at Alisa while evading Soma's ferocious attacks. Her face didn't show any emotions, but Alisa could grasp a hint of panic from her moevements after knowing that she had left the entrance unguarded—a sign that her theory had been right. She didn't get the chance though, as Soma and the rangers quickly pushed her to defend once again.

"What are you doing? Just go!" Kota yelled out without stopping his barrage.

Alisa hesitated for some seconds, her heart ached when she thought of the possibility of encountering Ray once again, but she quickly shoved if off and started making her way out of the area, leaving the raging battle behind.

She jumped from an overlooking balcony to the blackness below and landed abruptly on a large pipeline. It was very dark and cold down there. Faintly, she could hear the rumbling sound of machines and the battle going on above her.

She groped her way along the pipeline that ran away to her left. Occasionally, the 'tunnels' branched off and she could only rely on her hunches and senses of direction to move, taking any way that led her deeper into the core of Aegis. Getting lost here would be anightmare, she anxiously thought, for one would never find one's way out again.

At last she heard a sound. It was very faint amidst the rumbling gears, but she couldn't be mistaken: it was a sound of a computer being activated. She recalled that the mother computer of Aegis was located a little bit below her feet and she quickened her pace, trying to move without a sound. Her heart was beating so fast she could even hear it pounding in her ears.

"Researching NORN," a monotone voice resounded from afar.

She could not be too far from the core, then. There was definitely someone who was activating the computer down there. She moved to another pipe carefully and after calculating her steps in the dark, and landed on a hallway leading to a chamber. Dim, bluish light peeked from the slightly opened metal door. She approached it with care.

"Data not found," said the computer once again. Alisa was now standing behind the door with one shoulder pressed on the cold surface of the metal. She inched her head forward to take a better look into the room, her hand's grip on her God Arc tightened with each passing second.

But then, a familiar, deep voice startled her. "There's no use in hiding."

It was his voice.

She couldn't be mistaken.

There was a clicking sound of a gun being pointed. "Come out," he ordered.

Alisa held her breath as she walked in, her mind and heart racing in thoughts. Words, emotions and questions were crashing down together.

She got in slowly and stood before the door, facing a black coated figure with a gun some paces away. It was a bit hard to see his face clearly at first since his back was facing the monitor and there were no lights in the room except the blue light that came from the large computer screen. But when her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she finally could grasp his features closely.

It was clearly Ray who stood before her. He had changed from how she'd remembered him. He looked as if three or four years older. His gaze was cold and piercing in the dark. Taller; Broader shoulders; Different hair colour. Gleaming red eyes that looked almost predatory.

The gentle, calm and caring soul he had possessed was gone, replaced by a placid mask that showed nothing but supressed anger.

Forcing the name to come out of her lips, she whispered: "Ray."

He was silent for a moment. His face wasn't showing any emotions upon her and he didn't lower his gun. Finally, he said: "Do you underestimate my combat skills that much—coming with a fresh wound like that? Is Fenrir in a shortage of soldiers?"

She took a step forward instinctively. "Ray, what have—"

"Back off," he interrupted in a low voice. "I was told to shoot down anyone who gets in the way. So if you want to live, don't do anything stupid." Behind him was his God Arc, placed on a metallic board, waiting patiently to be used.

Tears began forming in her eyes but she blinked them away with some difficulty. Slowly, she loosened her grip on her God Arc until it fell with a clanking sound beside her. Ray lowered his gun slowly in response.

"You're alive," she finally breathed. Her voice, though, betrayed her. It was weak, croaked and sounded as if a stifled sob had just come out from her dry throat.

He eyed her for some seconds before replying, "In a sense." He turned to face the computer and typed on the keyboard. 'Access granted' was shown on the monitor.

Telling herself to breathe normally, Alisa asked, "What have they done to you?"

"Why is that worthy of your concern?" he asked without turning back. His tone, although sounded casual, felt like a sting to Alisa as if she had just been hit with a stun gun.

"Please, tell me..." her voice trailed off. "Why didn't you come back to us?"

At that, he spun around and glared at her. Alisa felt as if her feet were planted to the ground. Never she'd seen him so hurt and angry like that, it almost felt like he could intimidate her to death simply by staring. "_Come back_?" he echoed. "Do you think I would _want_ to come back to the ones who have _sold _me away?" He paused, inhaling sharply. "Do you have any idea what is _your _people doing behind your back?"

No. Not before she'd demanded answers from Sakaki after their last encounter.

Ray looked away, his mask of facade returning. "This is a waste of time," he muttered.

"I want to know," she said. "I want to know the truth." Her words earned his attention once again. Telling her body to stop shaking, she continued. "I've heard of a certain project from an officer very recently..."

"_A-deen. _You're standing before their first success, then," he said flatly.

She'd guessed such an answer, yet anger and frustation bubbled up within her chest. Whether they should be directed at Fenrir, the ex-researchers or herself, she didn't know. "What have they done to you?" she repeated the unanswered question.

There was a grim silence when Ray simply stared back at her. If glares could kill, his would definitely torture her viciously before she was dead. "Experiments," he finally said, eyes darting from her face to the blackness at the far end of the room. A cloud crossed his face. "Anything to revive me and enhance my abillities."

"Why are you siding with them?"

"My answer won't satisfy you."

Her throat ached from supressing the urge to shout and scream. "Then why are you doing this?" she asked, her voice quavered. "Why do you have to kill the people who were once entrusted to you?"

"Because I was told to." Alisa was about to retort, but Ray was faster to say, "Fenrir has a lot of things under their sleeves. Things you won't like to know. Has it occured to you how many times they had experimented in the past in order to create Gods Eaters—how many lives had been sacrificed?" One end of his lips twitched into a wry smile as he read Alisa's face. "That's right. Countless of people had died before we were created. Injecting Aragami cells into humans is never a gentle process to begin with. More so when they hadn't developed the current bias factor."

Alisa recalled the painful moment when the armlet had been attached to her wrist. The pain had been so overwhelming she'd almost fainted. But thankfully, it hadn't lasted for long as the bias factor's ecstacy effect had come kicking in.

And Ray was right; she'd never wondered how it would feel to be injected with Aragami cells_ without_ the armlet.

"I'm tired of their games," he said. "Tell me, what would you do if you found out that everything we felt and what we thought had been manipulated from the start?"

"What—?"

He began moving closer to her, his gun swaying at his left side. "What would you do if one day, you woke up in a reality entirely different from what you had known before?"

Alisa wanted to step back, maintaining some distance from him, but she was unable to. It was as if she was paralyzed. Although Ray's face was expressionless, there was something about him that sent chills to her skin. Her hands began to shake and she grabbed the hem of her skirt to steady them.

"How would you feel if you found out that you've been used all along—that you were a mere chess piece that could be replaced once kicked out of the board?" He was only some steps away from her now. "Would you still cling to your ideals and beliefs, then?"

She found it hard to find words. "I..."

He stopped two feet away from her, his gun raised and aimed at her forehead. "Is that too much for you to answer? But perhaps I should thank you first, for giving me the chance to see the errors in this corrupted world." He tilted his head to one side, his eyes staring absently to the door behind her as if remembering something. "Ah. Maybe thanking you won't be appropriate. Thanking your parents should be."

Her eyes widened in confusion and shock at his last remark. What was he talking about? "My... parents?"

An eyebrow went up in a mocking manner. "Oh? You don't know? But that's not surprising, I guess, since Fenrir hasn't been very open to its people."

Clearing her throat, she asked, "What do my parents have to do with all of this?"

"Why, of course because they've ressurected me." His gaze became more intense by the time he spoke again. "Your parents' last research before their deaths was to revive dead cells by implanting one's body with Aragami cells in a high amount and concentration. They developed a theory that should a dead body receive Aragami cells implantation that had evolved into a more compactible type, they would merge with the dead cells and allowed _another_ mutation."

He paused after seeing Alisa's expression and said, "Why so surprised? You were the one who told me that they were highly skilled genetics, were you not? But of course, they were not able to conduct any successful experiments with the current technology at that time. And so, their research was left behind."

But it hadn't been forgotten, for a group of Fenrir's researchers came across the data some moment later after their deaths. Those researchers had developed it further in their own way after Fenrir had rejected their ideas. They had continued their experiment underground.

She remembered that Sakaki had said that it was the Branch in Russia that had found the 'leftover' data stored up in their old database.

"I am a creation of your parents' research," concluded Ray. "A taboo. An anomaly."

There was a part of her that wanted to deny his words. But as painful as it was to accept, she bitterly acknowledged the truth of what she had been told. Alisa hung her head low, one hand came to her mouth to stifle some sobs escaping her lips.

Was that why Ray despised her so much? Because she was the sole daughter of the ones who'd made him suffer? Or was it because his intense hatred over Fenrir?

"Truth changes people," he said after a minute of silence. "It has changed me. It will also change you and the world around you."

Just then, the room they were in shook violently as a muffled sound of explosion resounded through Aegis. Before Alisa could react, a shap pain throbbed the back of her left shoulder. She fell down to her knees with tears streaming down her cheeks. The pain had broken every shield that had contained her emotions in one piece upon confronting Ray.

She could hear the metal door creaking open, then Ray's voice addressing the person who had shot her: "Larg. Is it time already?"

"You played around too much this time," a heavy voice grunted. "Karen is already at the meeting point. We should hurry and rendezvous with her before the second bomb detonates."

"What of the Gods Eaters?"

"They've retreated. A handful of soldiers are on their way to surround this island, though."

Alisa's eyes were getting heavier and heavier. Had she been shot down with some kind of sedatives? She fell to the ground when her sight began to blur. As the world dimmed, she could only see Ray's feet standing close to her.

"A Fenrir's dog?" asked the man called Larg. "What will you do with her?"

There was a moment of silence, and then a clicking sound. Ray said, "You heard the order. We need to bring back a messenger. She'll do."

"Hmph. If you say so."

Then Alisa's consciousness started to fade. The only thing she could remember before succumbing into the calming darkness was a cold feeling when a pair of hands seized and lifted her.

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_**A/N : **I had a hard time writing this chapter as I tried to position myself in both of Alisa and Ray's shoes. Appearantly, I need to expand my vocabulary._


	12. ReChapter 3: Resurrection

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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**Re - Chapter 3**

**{ Resurrection }**

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? – ? – 2074 / ?:?:?

Death.

The word had occured to Ray so many times during his initiation as a Gods Eater. He had wondered how his life would end one day, and how it would.

Everyone in the world knew that being a Gods Eater was a choice to a short-lived life, although yes, since one's need would be well-provided, maybe a life a short life free from worries was something many yearned for. It was a gamble for most people, yet a must for a certain group of trainees who had been placed under Fenrir's wings since birth. For Ray, though, it had been a choice the people around him had made in his stead. He'd had no saying in the matter.

They had him transferred to their Branch in Europe the moment Fenrir had found that he had been a possible match for their New-Type project. (Yes, they had forced every child under the age of seventeen in the small residental area he'd lived in to have a drip of their blood taken for their research). His guardian, although a bit reluctant to entrust him to Fenrir's care at first, had then been convinced by Director Schicksal himself that a life as a New-Type Gods Eater would be different from a normal Gods Eater. His chance for survival, for example, had been guaranteed to be 25% above the Old-Type ones.

The following week, a call from Asia had him transferred yet again to a new place: The Far East Branch. They had said that the area was in need for a New-Type since an Aragami breakout had occured in the land, causing much damage and threatening adults and children alike.

Upon leaving his homeland, Ray had expected his life to be a rough and plain journey, a quiet life without music and colors. But he had been wrong. His life as a Gods Eaters, although surrounded by deaths and blood, had been one he'd truly enjoyed in his short lifetime. He had met so many different people, had forged bonds with a few he'd truly cared about, and had also learned many things from them. After overcoming many hardships with laughter and tears, he'd even naively wished for peace, and for his life to continue as he'd led.

But everything had ended too quickly.

Ray's consciousness had drifted the moment he'd been stabbed by the wolf-like-Aragami's poisonous tail. Coldness and fear had gripped his heart, then his mind, with regrets and despair following suit. Blackness and emptyness were the foundations of the new world that had been containing him. Was this Hell? He'd wondered of what the place could be, since as far as everyone knew, Heaven could not have been associated with darkness. But it was not the darkness that was the most tormenting; it was the notion of being _left _in it.

What would his friends do after his death? What would become of the Den and the people he'd gotten to know in these past two years...? Would they grieve his death? Who would be elected as the new leader to fill in the vacancy he'd left?

Before Ray could muse any longer, a faint, prickling feeling of needles being injected into his body forced his heavy eyelids to slowly open. Nothing came to his sight, though.

"Subject Five has shown signs of consciousness," said a muffled voice. It seemed distant to his ears, as if he was hearing the voice from a faraway end of a field.

"Increasing dosage," said another voice.

Ray felt another sting on his spine, then a cold liquid was injected through the newly inserted needle. Dim lights started to fill his dissorted vision. Looming images of a foreign room, people in white coats and strange machines and equipments came to his sight as though through bluish layer.

"Syncronization rate has exceeded 80%," said a man to his left. He was wearing a labsuit and had a short hair. One of his hand was moving nimbly on a pad, Ray noticed. "Entering the second stage in thirty seconds."

Ray blinked slowly. He could grasp his surroundings better now. The layer he'd thought had been put between the white coated people and himself was none other than blue liquid where he was being bathed in. As seconds passed by, he began to feel its coldness wrapping his skin, though he was unable to move. An oxygen mask allowed him to breathe normally in the strange water. Barely able to think, it took a minute for Ray to realize that he was semi-floating inside of a pod that was almost twice the size of his body.

Where was he?

Who were these people?

Ray struggled to remember the details after he had been brought in by his comrades into the helicopter. He remembered how Alisa and his friends had been clutching to his hands and how desperate the medics had been to stop his bleeding—only to find that the wound had been infected by a poison unknown to them. But that was it. After that, he could remember nothing. His memory began to blur it started to hurt his head.

"His brainwaves are getting more rapid," said the first man whose voice he'd heard upon waking up minutes ago. "He's leaping into the third stage!"

"Get the old bias factor!" yelled out another white-coated man. "Use it to stabilize him!"

Another sting of needle pierced through his skin, right on his collarbone. A strangled sound escaped his lips as he snarled. Pain wheezed through his body, forcing him to shut down any thoughts to fight down the bitter feeling.

Images flickered in his mind. Faces, objects, places; everything he'd seen in his life was being replayed in his mind's eyes like an old movie being replayed in fast foward. His thoughts became more and more confusing as memories, feelings and voices were errupting uncontrollably.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to make it stop. But the pain only escalated, as if ignoring his silent plea.

His head throbbed as if it was about to explode, his sight sharpening, his ears receiving strange sounds in a high pitch it almost felt unbearable for his brain to contain.

His hands and legs were thrashing wildly outside of his will. He ripped and detached the hoses and large needles half-burried in his body in a blind rage. If this could end the pain he was in, then he had to remove every needle attached to his body. Fast.

He heard shouts and screams of alert from the people around him. He didn't stop. He moved violently in the pod as he struggled to break free from the container. His skin felt as though it was burning. It was as if the liquid had turned into acid.

"The bias factor was rejected!" Ray heard another voice shouting to his colleagues. "What are we gonna do?"

"Anything!" beamed a feminine voice in response. "Sedatives!"

More stings. There was a machine on the top of the container with many needles that directly aimed at his back and shoulders. The blue liquid quickly turned reddish as Ray fought the machine's attempt to inject him.

It hurt, it hurt, it hurt. His whole body felt as if it was being sliced and cut. Every cell in his body was screaming in agony.

This had to stop. He had to stop the excruciating torture.

One by one, he pulled out every foreign object attached on him. Once all the needles had been put off, he punched the glass of the pod, hard. It didn't budge at first. The burning pain coming from the liquid forced him to move and try again, and thankfully, it cracked this time. At the third attempt, the thick glass broke and shattered.

The force from the liquid flowing out of the pod pushed him foward. He removed the oxygen mask and made another punch on the glass. The hole got bigger, enough for him to throw himself out.

Ray landed heavily on the cold, now wet, metallic floor, coughing and panting.

"Neutralize him!" shrieked a panicking woman.

"Don't kill him! Use a stun gun!"

"Guards!"

He bent to one knee as his hands moved abruptly to cover his ears in a desperate attempt to block high-pitched sounds and strange voices torturing him. He gritted his teeth, his thoughts in disarray.

But then he sensed a movement—an attack directed at him. Moving purely on instinct, Ray leapt to his right. His shoulder bumped on a large machine as the impact of his movement jostled him several feet away.

The man who had aimed at him shouted, "He's _fast_!"

Another shot, and he rolled to his left to evade it. He thought of nothing; his body purely moved on the sole instinct of not wanting to get hurt. He tried to get up and looked at his adversaries, only to realize that his sight had strangely gotten sharper and more vivid.

In one blink of an eye, the images of terrified faces around the room were burnt into his mind. Seven armed guards stood facing him, their movements stiff, showing a sign of reluctance and fear. Everything seemed to move in a slow motion in Ray's senses: two of the black clothed guards aimed at him, air rushed out from their nostrils as they exhaled, the faint sound of their muscles flexing, and _bang._

He threw himself forward to the nearest guard, evading two bullets as he dashed, and grabbed the man by the neck with one hand. He squeezed it without thinking and blood splashed, the dead weight of the guard's lifeless body fell onto the stained floor with a heavy thump.

Blood.

_Blood._

His mouth opened up a bit upon the fresh scent, letting a drip entering it. It tasted... _sweet._

Strange. Was that really blood his mind just described as sweet in taste? Had it been that delicious all along—without him knowing?

And... Delicious...?

What was he thinking?

There was something wrong with his mind. He staggered a few steps back as he clutched onto his head. Around him was chaos. People screaming, shouting for help; White coats barking orders, more guards entering the room. He heard the sound of running feet. The white coats fleeing the room. He paid no attention to his surroundings, though; his gaze fixed on his blood-stained hand.

Laughter bubbled up inside his stomach, rising up to his chest and throat, brushing off the pain that had been torturing him a moment ago. Hysteria. What an odd satisfaction.

Ecstacy.

He couldn't contain it anymore his lips formed a smile.

"Surround him!" barked an officer. An alarm had begun resounding, its loudness piercing Ray's acute hearing. "Avoid his heart and head!"

A round of bullets came at him. But they were too slow; He'd seen their hands stopping in their tracks to pause in the air and shoot.

Moving in a high speed, he launched himself in a jump and landed on a high table. He spun around, too quickly for his enemies to aim and shoot, then jumped at one of the guards, burrying his hand into his chest with such force it emerged from the back of the man. Warm blood sluiced down his arm; then, grasping hold of another guard who was still in shock nearby, he launched him into the path of the third man. He had the advantage of surprise; impaling one with his bare hand; ripping the neck of a second; and shoving the two writhing, dying men onto their comrades.

Everything had happened in mere seconds. Then more guards were coming.

None, though, could match his speed and precision. In what seemed to be a short two minutes the room had been filled with corpses in awkward angles and pools of blood. Ray stood idly at the center—his body wet with the rich red liquid of life— and he, once again, forced his brain into gear. He was too distracted to think of anything when a strange feeling of drowsiness began to grow inside of him.

Had they fired a sleeping gas?

Falling on his knees, he let his palms support his weight as his breathing became heavier.

He could hear panicked murmurs from outside of the room, people barking orders and scientists making quick calculations of the state he was in. Then he fell to the ground, his eyes closing, his senses giving in to the gas' effect. Darkness embraced him once again.

* * *

**_A/N : _**_This Re-Chapter is closely related to the next chapter as the next (normal) chapter will be a continuation of this one._


	13. Chapter 9: A Frail Hope

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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**Chapter 9**

**A Frail Hope**

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04 – 09 – 2075 / ?:?:?

Alisa's eyes sprang open in the darkness. She gasped for air and still could feel the cold, sharp needles throbbing her spine. She ran a hand to the back of her neck.

There was nothing there. No needles. No hoses.

Nothing.

Letting a sigh escape her lips, she tried to get up and failed. Her muscles contracted in pain at the slighest movement that she'd instantly dropped back to the matress the moment she'd moved. Squeezing her eyes shut, she relaxed her body and forced her brain to work.

Was that a dream she just had? No, it couldn't be. Too vivid for a mere dream. Too real for a mere delusion.

Could it be _the_ Resonance?

She remembered that after she had been knocked unconscious, a pair of cold hands had seized her. _His _hands, unmistakably. Had that been the trigger? The matter was not of any importance, now. The _content _of the Resonance Effect _was_.

She thought for a moment, recalling the events and images she'd seen from Ray's point of view. She had experienced his physical pain, sensing his thoughts as if they were her own, noticing how confused and hurt he had been when his body had rejected the foreign bias factor. It had felt as if a countless of burning needles had been injected into her at the same time; the pain had been unbearable.

Ray had been brought back to life—and that had been done by making him a test subject for a new kind of bias factor.

Anger and frustation hit her at the thought of it. She could remember the horrified look in those researchers' eyes when Ray had broken free from the container. For them, he'd been a mere test subject if not a monster. And maybe they still thought of him that way. But for a second, so she had.

A lone tear streamed down her ceek as she curled up to one side and clutched tightly onto the bed sheet, ignoring her burning muscles. All this time she'd been focused solely on her own loss and suffering, even after she had found out that Ray was alive. She hadn't wondered how _he _had managed to survive in this past year; never thinking how he must've felt after being treated as a mere lab rat, and now, as a weapon.

No wonder he hated her.

She was selfish: she had taken him for granted, never trying to understand his actions and emotions. She was no different than those who had sold him away and used him.

"Fenrir's Gods Eater," a voice called. It was a male's voice.

Alisa didn't move, aware that she was being watched. It took a moment for her to keep her emotions from bursting and stilled herself on the matress. There were probably some cameras installed on the ceiling—she couldn't see them, but there had to be some.

"We brought you here for a purpose," the voice said, loud enough to echo in the empty room. It resounded from above her head, probably from a speaker hanging on the ceiling. "You will act as a messenger for us."

_Messenger?_

"As things stand now, we are currently in no position to speak to your superior officers," the voice said. "We are sure that you must've already known of a patternless evolution of the Aragami. Until a few years ago, the change in the Aragami was predictable and going on a steady rate after they have first emerged. But in these late two years, they have begun to change dramastically, although their numbers haven't exceeded our predictions. You, the one who constantly battle those beasts, must've also realized this fact."

The voice paused for a moment, as if letting her absorbing the information given. Alisa willed herself to keep silent. "One of our aims is to make a balance in this world that Fenrir has failed to achieve."

She narrowed her eyes at the dark ceiling cautiously. "Balance?" she asked, her voice was small and croaked.

"Yes. Balance," it affirmed. "Fenrir's aim is domination over the world. Their late Director was aiming for a purge to rebuild this world from a scratch, although many of the people in his own circle objected to this."

At that, Alisa made a mental note that they knew of some restricted information to Fenrir. Had Ray been forced to fill them in? Or did they have some spies working for them? Whatever it was, she knew what they said was true; Fenrir did aim for full domination of the world although it didn't mean that they'd taken any agressive moves like invading other international organizations.

Fenrir believed that humanity should work together as one in order to survive, more so in the face of the Aragami and global warming. Fenrir had started as a independent organization which then quickly bloomed into one of the world's most influental power holders eversince they had been successful in creating the God Arcs. It could be estimated that Fenrir had grasped control over one third of the world now, whether in the field of politics, manpower or technology.

"Do you know by what method Fenrir had used to gain influence in foreign lands?" asked the voice.

She didn't. And by the voice's low tone and her review over the Black Cloaks' actions, she didn't want to.

Ignoring her silent refusal, the voice said, "Their methods are simple: decrease the ransom given to any uncooperative sector, then withdraw the Gods Eaters who are assigned to that area one by one until the sector is left unguarded. Or, if the sector was not under their influence in the first place, they would simply reject the sector's demands for weaponry."

Guilt overcame Alisa as an invicible burden fell upon her chest. Despite her logic telling her that they spoke of the truth, she said, "Are you expecting me to believe in all of this?"

The voice was silent for a moment. It then spoke up very slowly: "I'm sure you've seen the faces of the people who have taken you here. Among them, you should've recognized a _familiar _one."

Ray.

The supposedly deceased 1st Unit Leader of the Far East Branch.

Her most trusted ally.

And also the one whom she'd unknowingly left to suffer alone.

"I have," she said, trying to sound tougher and firmer while dismissing the unpleasant feelings she had felt in the 'dream.'

"Then you must've wondered how the former leader of your branch has been revived." A brief intake of breath. "Fenrir _sold_ him away to us. In exchange for a sample of our newly developed bias factor."

Sakaki had told her of this, once, and she had believed it. But, "They weren't aware that you'd be able to bring him back to life."

A faint snort was audible. Alisa swallowed hard as she thought of how it was going to reply.

"They knew." There. "It was just they weren't _sure _that we would be able to. So, you see: you, Gods Eaters, are no higher than highly priced goods for them."

The speech she had heard from the Director of the Russian Branch when she had become a full-fledged Gods Eater was ringing in her ears. "_You are the last protector of humanity,_" the middle-aged man had said. "_From this day forth, you shall be our beacon of hope in this rotting world where the Aragami lurks about. Be proud and think of this high responsibility as an honor._"

Honor...

Alisa's jaw stiffened. Was it truly an honor to willingly give oneself to become a puppet in hopes of seeing a better future? Anger and confusion grew inside her.

Alisa wanted to scream. She wanted to say that everything was all made up; a lie. Yet somewhere in her heart, she knew the voice spoke of the truth. Ray was more than enough of a proof to convince her of Fenrir's corruption. The anger and hatred she had seen in his eyes were not fake, nor they were instilled by the effects of brainwashing. She knew of the difference since she'd experienced it firsthand.

"We want you to give a message to Fenrir for us," repeated the voice. "Of course, since you are in no possession of your God Arc, we will send an escort team along with you. What say you in this?"

"What if I say no?"

"Two possibilities," it said almost right away. "Either we dispose of you and seek another candidate, or we all die."

"Die?" she echoed. "What makes this message that urgent?"

"We've developed a theory to counter the evolution of the Aragami without eradicating them."

Alisa was about to utter more questions, but the voice didn't let her. "Right now, Fenrir is blind to the truth and is merely slaying the Aragami whenever possible. The analogy is that their action could be considered as a mere criminal hunt in a city without increasing its security. True, maybe they have and are still doing things to preserve and fertilize the land, but it is not enough. Without the Aragami, our oxygen would deplete in just ten years from now."

There were some Aragami who were able to photosynthesize. Dr. Sakaki had informed her of that before, and told her of an idea of coexisting with the beasts. She had regarded the scientist poorly, thinking that the man had been delusional back then.

"All right," she finally said after a while. "I have a request, though."

A grim silence fell as she let her words hang in the air. Finally, with a slight of irritation and forced neutrality, the voice said, "Do you realize of the position you are in right now?"

"I do." She told herself to sound as calm and confident as she could, mustering every bit of pride she'd discarded two years ago. "But in order for Fenrir to regard your message with respect instead of disdain from killing its New-Type Gods Eater, you have to use me."

Surprised murmurs could be heard from the audio system. Alisa's lips curled into a ghost of a smile. It seemed that they had not known that they had abducted a New-Type Gods Eater. New-Types, as everyone knew, were exteremely rare. There were only tens of them scattered around the world, and they played exceptional roles in battle. This was going to be a bargain the could not refuse.

So, she chose the moment to speak again. "I realize that you guys haven't killed any Gods Eaters in both of your assaults—only guards, engineers and some scientists working for Fenrir. I can only deduce that whatever plan you have in mind to 'save' the earth, you will need our strength for it to be put into motion."

And that was not a bluff. She had realized this when she'd been fighting the female God Arc wielder. The brown haired woman had been holding back, never unleashing any deadly blows despite her superior skills and precision.

"Fine," the voice said after the voices around the spokesperson had ceased down. "Name your request."

"I'd like to have the Den's former Unit Leader as a part of the escort team."

* * *

xx - 0 - xx

* * *

05 – 09 – 2075 / 03:00:05

The message entrusted to Alisa was coded and kept in a small disk. The researchers had made care so that she wouldn't be able to guess where their base was located by keeping her in the small room until it was time for her departure. They had also tended to her wounds and given back her Fenrir uniform, and transported her into a different room with a blindfold equipped.

Now, Alisa was sitting on a cold metal chair, with hands bound by solid straps attached to the armrests. Though she could not see, she could hear occasional murmurs from people around her, footsteps dwindling past her, and every other noise they produced.

"We will inject you with sedatives to make sure you are unconscious until you are out of this place," said a man to her left. Alisa kept silent and offered a curt nod. "The effect should die out after ten minutes, and there will be no side effects. You will wake up and find the escort team with you. They will lead you back to the Den." He paused. Then, almost reluctantly, he added, "We will keep our promise; the one you once knew as Ray Maxwell shall be in the team."

Her heart started to hammer against her chest the moment she heard his name. He would be there. They would meet again. And this time, not necessarily as adversaries.

But how would he look at her? How should she apologize to him? Had this mission been forced on him?

"Remember," said another voice, "that you are to deliver the disk to the Den's director. If you tried to run away or attempted to harm your escorts..." He trailed off. "Well, we'll just leave that to your imagination."

She nodded yet again. No, she wouldn't do such thing. It was too foolish and risky, anyway. And, further, she needed answers.

"I'll cooperate," Alisa said.

"That's what we're expecting from you."

Then a cold, wet cloth was skimmed lightly on her left arm. Antiseptics, by the scent of it. A familiar sting followed and she could feel the liquid entering her veins, flowing through her body, numbing her senses.

The effect of the serum was immediate. She started to lose grasp of her body; voices and sounds around her became distant; her head felt light. The binds on her arms were released and she could still feel two pair of arms moving her. But after that she let her muscles and brain relax, letting her consciousness be swept away by the calming feeling.

After what seemed to be hours, Alisa regained the strength to move her limbs. Her head still felt a bit dizzy and she couldn't think well. A heavy voice told her to get up, and it was then she was able to force her body to obey the command. She rose into a sitting position with some difficulty and breathed in deeply to ease her mind.

A profound chill ran over her, shuddering her. Cold air was gripping tightly on her, making it rather hard to breathe without her lungs felt as if dried. She could see nothing though.

"You can remove the blindfold," said the voice again.

Slowly, Alisa reached the back of her head and pulled off the cloth. Blurry shadows attacked her vision soon after. She blinked a few times until she could see a gigantic figure standing at her left.

"My name is Larg," the black man said, his voice rumbling in the dark room. "And I don't think I need to tell you _his _name," he added, glancing sideways at his companion.

Alisa's heart almost leapt in anticipation and grief. Could it be...

Yes. He was there.

Ray was standing idly at the left of the room, his back leaning on the metal wall, one hand burried in his coat's pocket. Shadows made it hard for Alisa to see his face, but she knew if she could, his expression wouldn't be pleasant. He didn't move nor say anything.

Larg motioned for her to stand and she did so. It was then that she was aware that they were inside a small, dirty garage with only two windows located high above their heads. The door was no longer in its frame, and icy air howled and shrieked faintly through the opening. Darkness loomed behind it. In what land, she didn't dare to ask just yet.

"Wear this," said Larg as he tossed Alisa a long, black coat to shield her from the cold. It had no emblems on its back. He turned around and started walking without waiting for her while saying, "I'll check the car's engine," to the motionless Ray, and dissapeared from view the moment blackness swallowed his figure.

Only the two remained in the dark garage.

Alisa was beginning to get uncomfortable by each passing second. The last moment they'd been together he had warned her not to stand in his way and had pointed his gun at her without any hesitation. She subconsciously recalled the Resonance effect and found herself at a loss of words. So they just stood there, some paces away, with neither willing to address each other.

Silences were used to be comfortable with him, but now, they were heavy and grim. Alisa clutched to the coat in her hands and averted her eyes. "I... I want to apologize." Her voice was only a whisper, but she knew he heard it well.

There was no reply.

Flash of disturbing images rolled on her mind as she closed her eyes. "I saw it," she said, a little bit louder this time. She fought the strong urge to run from him and cry as she remembered the cold sensation of countless of needles and hoses being injected into his body. She forced herself to continue. "I saw what they've done to you."

Ray moved, very slowly, to straighten himself and fixed a look at her. His eyes were blood red against the dark, and his expression was unreadable. His presence may lacked the intention to kill this time, but it still posed itself as 'dangerous.' He was silent, still.

"All this time, I was so focused on myself... I never tried to understand you. And when I knew that you were alive—" She paused, her voice broke hoarse. "I..."

"Our task," he suddenly said in a low voice, startling her, "is to make sure that you are back to the Den with the message. I am allowed to shoot you down in three conditions: if you run away, if you act against us, or if you try to break or give the disk to a third party. As long as you don't do those things, we will see that you are escorted safely to the Far East Branch."

Alisa took in his words for a moment. She wasn't sure, but it seemed that his gaze had lost some amount of the ferocity and intense hatred he'd displayed on their last encounter. His expressionless face wasn't giving away anything.

"You are never to reveal our identity and circumstances, no matter in what conditions," he continued in the same stoic tone. "Is that understood?"

She slowly nodded, gaze dropping to the ground.

"Good."

Ray was about to turn away and walk out of the garage when Alisa ran to him and grabbed his right arm from behind, halting his advance. For a split moment, she thought that he would yank it free from her grip or push her away. But he didn't. He simply arched his neck to look at her.

As their eyes met, tension built inside Alisa until she couldn't stand to hold it in anymore. It was the first time after his 'death' that they'd been in such proximity without any weapons drawn. "You really are alive..."

Sobs started to replace words as her emotions errupted to the surface, breaking the already cracked shell she'd tried desperately to hold from falling into pieces in these last few days. Her chest ached, her grip on his arm was tightening and she bent her head down to let her tears fell to the ground, slightly touching her forehead to his back.

Never she'd poured out her emotions like this after _that_ day. She had tried to deny reality back then: denying her own weakness by shutting down the choking feeling of loss. Her tears and cries had always been held back by delusional thoughts of the need to carry on.

But with him alive; breathing against her; she let the fragile glass that had contain her emotions shatter.

For a long moment, the two were standing like that in the gloom, with the silence only broken by Alisa's quiet sobs and Ray's slow, even breathing.

Minutes had passed by when she finally let go of his arm. She'd regained control of herself and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Forgive me," she croaked, forcing a rue smile to herself. "I must be a real hindrance to you..."

Ray was silent for a moment, but then, to her surprise, quietly said, "Everyone needs to let go of their restraints sometimes," before walking away.

She stood alone in the darkness, eyes still trailing on his back until he exited the garage and dissapeared from her view. One hand moved to her forehead.

He'd let her touch him.

And his words...

Alisa let a subtle smile touch her lips.

He may be scarred... But his old, gentle, self hadn't vanished completely yet. She knew it was still within him somewhere: living, pulsating, though buried by piles of conflicted feelings and emotions.

Clutching tightly to the frail hope at the thought, she walked after him.

* * *

_**A/N : **Sorry for the short chapter. As usual, college is killing me. _

_As for Alisa's personality I worked and developed further in this fic, I really suggest you to read the 2nd Break Official Manga now._


	14. Chapter 10: Falling

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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**Chapter 10**

**Falling**

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06 – 09 – 2075 / 22:11:00

The ride had gone in silence.

They had travelled through barren snowy land for a day without delay. There were not so many threats—whether posed by Aragami or hostile military forces—in the part of the land where they'd been. But when they had entered the southern part of the area, marked with slightly thicker vegetation and warmer temperature, Aragami could be found lurking everywhere. There were not too many of them, thankfully, but they hunted in groups, and were especially active at night. It was because that very reason Larg had chosen to park the military truck in a thin forested area before going further.

Larg had figured that it would be probably best to clear the path first before passing the area through. Ray had agreed, so they had left for a night hunt, leaving silver-haired young woman with one of the new-type Borzois. Of course, they had brought the two big wolfhounds with them for many purposes—mainly for tracking and signaling them of unwanted presence. They were new breed, fruits of long genetic experimentation and DNA splicing.

The beasts were just slightly bigger than wolfhounds; they were more muscular, yet their heads and body features had strangely retained the shape of their ancestors: wolves. Larg thought that it may probably because of the Aragami cells' doing rather than their own. They were good partners nontheless.

He and Ray had brought the black one with them, while the gray wolfhound, its twin, had been left at the truck to alert them if danger lurked around the messenger they ought to escort. (They also had let the wolfhounds to remember Alisa's scent so they would 'behave' around her). The young woman, Larg noticed, had behaved politely, though somehow withdrawn and a bit anxious. No. She only behaved that way when she was around Max.

Now, the two were busy combatting dozens of Ogretails and a pack of newly evolved Vajras in the wild. Their plan had been simple: alert them to one place, then massacre every one of the beasts. The area was surrounded by tall trees. The forest was not too thick, but enough to entrap the scent of their blood.

Larg bashed his enormous hammer-shaped God Arc onto one of the Ogretails, resulting in a splash of dark blood as its skull shattered from the impact. He leapt backward to avoid the blood and landed heavily on the ground, grunting in disgust. Ray was sommersaulting two meters above him, impaling his blade into a leaping Vajra in midair. If Larg was like an invincible bull in land, then the younger man was like an agile winged serpent who was able to slither and leap a few meters high in a blink of an eye. Different types of Aragami blood injected in their bodies explained everything, he thought.

"Save your bullets," Larg warned him as he saw his partner changing his God Arc into a sniping mode. Ray snorted in reply and quickly changed it back into a short ranged weapon before leaping again to engage two Ogretails with his blade.

After a few minutes of bashing, thursting and slicing, they were the only ones left standing amongst the corpses of newly slain monsters. Larg wrinkled his nose at the striking scent of the dead Aragami and the pools of blood wetting the ground. The other packs, if there was any Aragami left in the area, would be undoubtedfully attracted to the bloody spot rather than their truck and a faint human scent.

"Garry," Larg called out to the black beast. It sprang from the trees nearby.

The hounds were not designed to battle Aragami, but tracking them, though it was entirely a different matter when their opponents were humans or beasts smaller than their size. Larg made a gesture with two fingers to point at his ear and out. The beast growled in response, slightly dipping its head to one side. "They are safe, then," he concluded. It meant that Garry hadn't picked any sound from its twin who was stationed back at the truck, Devar.

Max folded his God Arc into a passive mode after devouring some of the Aragami cores, all the while keeping his mouth firmly shut. As far as Larg had known him, he'd always been a silent person. But he was kind of different now. It was as if he had grown more and more distant, especially around the young woman they were supposed to escort. It was rare to see him behaving like that: showing his anxiety and uncertainties in the surface of his otherwise calm persona. Well, maybe most people would miss them, but Larg would not. That was only to be expected, though, since he was the one among the hunters who had known him for the longest time during their initiation.

Larg could tell that there was something strange, restraining even, in the way he moved and fought. His movements were usually sharp and relaxed. But he was more—Larg searched his mind to find the right word—_stiff_ as of late. And when he battled, he did it in such ferocity as if in need of slamming his weapon against something.

He decided it was time to speak up.

"Max," he called in a conversational tone. "I don't mean to pry, but were you in any way close to that girl?"

He didn't reply. Larg rumbled a bitter laugh. "I was right, then."

The blond was already walking back to where they'd come, not bothering to comment on his statement. Larg strode easily after him. He was, after all, almost two heads taller than his younger companion.

He studied his face for a while, then chose to voice his opinion in a low voice. "She loves you, you know."

It was then he gained his attention. Max slightly jerked his head toward him and narrowed his eyes, shooting him a sharp glare, although his face remained guarded. "What brings this up?" There was a flickered annoyance and open irritation in his voice.

Larg shrugged his broad shoulders, undisturbed by his accusing eyes. "A simple observation from a married man."

"_You_ were married?"

"For fifteen years. Had a daughter and a son."

"_Had_," he wondered aloud.

The bulky man grinned, his white teeth flashed dangerously against his dark skin. "Each of us has our own history. You know that more than anyone else."

Tha was an unofficial rule between those who were kept on the labs: avoid prying on each other's past lives. The survivors of the tests run by the scientists in the underground labs had all been subjects of the world's funny way of twisting about men's lives, which had been exactly the reason why they had spoken very little of the past and cast their old identities away. Taking up a new name was a customary for the remainings, since the white coats never bothered to call them by names and used numbers instead. Larg had bitterly thought that their existence was close to that of a stock labelled goods. If not mere pieces of junk.

Max seemed to be thoughful; his eyes becoming distant, the dark orbs focusing at nothing in particular. Larg took notice of this and said, "Do what must be done while the people you hold dear are still alive. You don't get everyday to see them in a time like these."

A snort. "What's this now? Getting old and sentimental, all of a sudden?"

"As you will only regret everything after their deaths," he finished, ignoring his mocking remark. Gary chose that very moment to bark playfully at him, and Larg patted the wolfhound's dark head. "And then again, this 'sentimental old man' was only talking to himself."

* * *

xx - 0 - xx

* * *

06 – 09 – 2075 / 23:39:03

The moon was hanging high in the black sky, giving them the slightest light that shone warily against the engulfing darkness. Hidden by the trees and its shadows, one could never spot a military truck that was parked near a cluster of large pine trees. But Larg and Ray didn't need the moon's light to guide them. They also didn't need maps nor compass to bring them back to the truck through the natural maze of the terrain since Gary was with them.

Thankfully, Larg had closed the subject throughout the long walk and preferred to chat with the wolfhound instead, though not without missing the chance to tease Ray for being a tough nut. Ray had been too tired and too disturbed to play along. Had the giant asked him further about his past, Ray was not sure he could keep himself together.

There was something tugging at the back of his mind ever since he'd met Alisa again. It had been pure hatred and anger at first, but somehow, it had changed into something else... Something foreign and disturbing. He hated the feeling of it.

Also, he didn't need Larg or anyone else to tell him of _her_ feelings. He had, after all, felt and seen everything through her eyes during the Resonance. Flashes of images and thoughts which were not his flooded his mind at the reminiscence, forcing him to silently grit his teeth to prevent them from conquering his emotions. Gods, he disliked being forced to feel what she felt; scared that it would only reopen the doors to memories and senses he had long discarded.

A low, howling sound from Devar signaled that they'd neared the truck. Immediately, he could see the large vechile concealed beneath the shadows of looming trees in the darkness. They quickened their pace at the sight of it. Garry broke into a light run when he spotted Devar, and the two wolfhounds greeted each other with playful bites and gnaws, seemingly happy in each other's company once again.

"I'll take the first watch," Larg said as he opened the door to the driver's seat. He gave him a sidelong glance before climbing in and added, "Don't try to do anything funny to her, now. She's an ally. Or perhaps I should take away every sharp object you conceal first."

Ray didn't bother to reply and headed straight to the back car. He opened it without a sound and climbed in. He seated himself across of a sleeping Alisa once he was inside.

She was laying to one side on the long bench, blanketed by a gray piece of wool that only left her head and upper torso uncovered. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the darkness; silver hair was loosely astray behind slim coated shoulders, glistening at the slightest touch of the minimum light in the dark trailer; and her face, for once, was serene.

Funny, he thought, how sleeping Gods Eaters could sense immediate danger of a lurking Aragami and not a hybrid like _him_. An assassination order would have been carried out smoothly had it been issued.

Ray leaned back and breathed deeply, dismissing any thoughts of faint, prickling feelings from the past as he closed his tired eyes. There was no need to be bothered by thing that had been lost, he knew. He was a dead man. A dead man shouldn't be chained by his past, more so intrigued by feelings for the living.

But his body couldn't lie.

Even though his mind was able to shut the gnawing feeling down, two of his senses were not: the light, familiar scent filling his nostrils and the sound of her even breathing were relaxing his muscles little by little, eating away the vagueness and his mind's barrier in the process.

He had associated her presence with comfort before, and it seemed that it was not going to change for a long while, so long as the order that kept her as an ally did not change. How an outdated physical reaction could still be intact after a year, he didn't know.

He despised it. He felt weak around her. Vulnerable, even. It was as if every ounce of emotions and feelings he'd discarded was haunting him again, budging to be recognized. It was confusing, as well as sickening.

Producing a small flask containing sleeping pills he and his kind had to consume in order to fully rest outside of their pods, Ray opened it and was about to take one before deciding against it. He eyed the figure lying motionlessly across him once again.

Alisa shifted a bit in her sleep, tugging the blanket to cover her shoulder unconsciously before her breathing settled into a slower pace.

Ray shoved the flask back to his pocket after a moment of absent consideration. Maybe he wouldn't need the pills to succumb into the realm of emptiness tonight. Maybe... Maybe his body would still remember how to sleep like a normal person when it was given the right bait.

He shook his head at the though.

"Such a bother you are," he sighed, before closing his eyes and giving in to faint scent of nostalgia.

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xx - 0 - xx

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07 – 09 – 2075 / 07:01:12

The following morning, Ray had woken up early before dawn to take the watch. He had been at ease, choosing to trust Gary and Devar to spot any unnatural sounds and movements in the trees rather than wasting his energy to sharpen his senses.

To his surprise, he _had _fallen asleep without the pills. He'd thought that it would, at least, take hours for him to fall into slumber without them, but it seemed that he had underestimated his own brain and body too much. There was another problem. If Alisa had been the catalyst, things would not get prettier: unlike being able to sleep naturally for the first time after a year, letting his guard down wasn't something he'd accounted as an achievement.

From the small chatters and murmurs from the back car, he knew that Alisa had awoken. Despite his appearance, Larg was a friendly, easy going guy with a sarcastic sense of humor. He'd spoken to her occasionally and, to Ray's surprise, they had gotten along quite well. Either way Ray was thankful for it, since it meant that _he _didn't have to answer Alisa's questions about things.

Ray heard a heavy bump from the back which then was followed by Larg's approaching steps. Unlike him, the giant had never been one to move in a stealthy fashion, let alone attract unnecessary attention with his stature. "We'd better get going now," Larg said as he opened the door to the front car.

He shrugged. Larg stood idly outside the car.

"Are you not going to get in and drive?" Ray finally asked.

"Are you not going to the back?" he returned the question with folded arms.

"Why should I?"

"You haven't eaten your 'breakfast.'"

Ray scowled. Larg was talking about the routine medication they had to take. A medication in a form of H03-Bias Factor injection.

Larg flashed a smile at his expression. "Don't be like a kid, Max. It doesn't hurt as much."

Ray rolled his eyes. He got out of the car and slammed the door. Once outside, he drew in a long breath to clear his mind. There was no choice, it seemed. To be honest, he'd rather stayed away from Alisa as long and as far as he could. But Larg was right: it was childish of him to behave this way.

He whistled a low note to the wolfhounds and they immediately rose up to their clawed feet and got in the back car through the side door. He followed suit.

Alisa was sitting on the same bench where she'd been sleeping on. She extended her hand to stroke Devar when the wolfhound sat close to her feet. She went completely still for a moment, and he could sense her growing alertness upon his entry. Both of them said nothing.

The engine roared to life as Ray walked over to the cupboard at the far back of the car. He tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling that crept in as he felt her eyes on his back. He opened it and grabbed a small bag of clear blue liquid from a case. The dosage, with the bag only a size of his thumb, was enough to keep his mutated cells under control for three or four days without fighting. He clicked on the side of the plastic to spring the needle out of the small syringe while his other hand was busy removing the choker wrapped on his neck. He paused before injecting it.

"Don't stare at me like that. It's not infectious."

Alisa quickly averted her eyes from his back. "I-I'm sorry."

He eased the tip of the needle into the tender skin on the side of his neck. A faint, familiar, ache spread through his throat, numbing his body for a second. He closed his eyes and could see prickles of white blooming in the blackness, then at a rapid blink, they disappeared.

"Is that... the Bias Factor?" Alisa asked after he had put on his collar. Reluctance could be heard in her voice.

The vehicle began moving. Ray closed the cupboard and sat across her, his body still feeling heavy and a bit sluggish from the injection.

Gods Eaters had to be injected with a certain amount of Bias Factor on a regular basis—once a month, usually—but they didn't need syringes and needles to do that. That was the armlet was for. But the same thing and procedure were out of option for him.

"An enhanced type," Ray corrected. "Normal Bias Factor has undesired effects on my kind."

She lowered her gaze to the metal floor at his remark, her face darkening. Ray recalled her statement about witnessing what the white-coats had done to revive him through the Resonance, which meant that she should also have seen the rejection effect.

For a long while, they just sat there in silence. Neither of them looked at each other. After some minutes had passed, Alisa spoke in a low voice that almost felt like a whisper. "What will you do after all of this?"

Ray slowly returned his attention to her. "Nothing," came the reply almost right away. "I'll do whatever they order me to do."

A pained look came across her face, and from what he could see, she was fighting back tears. "Why?" Her voice, though, was deceptively calm and soft.

"Because they feed me?" he suggested.

"I'm serious, Ray."

"And I was serious." He dared her by mustering a taunting look. "Who else has the substance to keep this mind and body function properly?"

She seemed to be at a loss of words for a second, but then recovered quickly. "You're... not going back, then?"

"I can't." That was the fact. From the start, there had never been an option for him to return. Ray heaved a sigh. "If you've seen _it_, than you know it better than anybody else. This body requires a certain treatment," he said, trying to sound logical despite the heat rushing through his veins. He wasn't used to get emotional like this. "So to cut things short, they are the only option I have."

"Living like this..." she trailed off. "Are you happy—being used as a mere tool and weapon?"

"The same goes for you."

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Whether being kept in the base or in the labs, we are all tools of a greater mind. Mere chess pieces, you can say. Maybe you would understand that if you'd died at least once," he added with a shrug. Being around Larg had unconsciously instilled the seeds of sarcasm into him. His old self would think of it as being rude, but now, what was the point in being polite to the damned world, again?

"But I'm sure they would figure something out—"

"They _sold _me, remember?" he cut her off, so sharp she went stiff in her seat. "I don't think they would want to buy me back and feed me well unless I prove to be _very _useful. Which I doubt, considering the high funds in keeping my human sense working. Even a king wouldn't want his killer hound to sleep at his feet."

When Alisa didn't reply, Ray said in a less hostile tone, "You shouldn't concern yourself with the deceased. Just go on with your life."

He'd thought she was going to retort, but she didn't. Instead, she squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled deeply. When she opened them again, a tender look mingled with a veiled sadness glistened in the blue orbs. Tears making them glassy as a rueful smile touched her lips. "I've tried," she said softly, her voice quavering. And that was when a tear escaped from the corner of her eye. "I've tried. Many times. And always failed."

Ray looked away.

He didn't need her to say so. He'd seen it. Felt it. He knew how broken she had been. And maybe he had too, to the point where he didn't even want to acknowledge it anymore.

Before he could think of anything to reply, Gary and Devar's ears shot up.

"What is it?" he asked the two. They gave a deep, long growl in response, with eyes darting to the back door. Ray quickly rose to his feet and grabbed his God Arc from a metal case sitting above him.

He stood idly in the moving car for a while, opening his senses to a broader range, sensing every movement around them, searching for something that didn't fit in right. Then his sensitive ears caught it: a sound of a moving vehicle running after them. It was faint at first; they were probably around three or four kilometers far. But as each second passed, it got louder and louder.

Ray opened the side door and planted one feet to the railing, letting the wind to blow up his hair as his nose picked the scents of metal and gunpowder in the air. They were crossing a barren land with large, jagged rocks scattered around the area, and, mapping the entire field in his mind, he started to develop a strategy to escape.

"Companies?" grunted Larg from the front car.

"Five cars," he confirmed. "Heavily armed." He looked inside to meet Alisa's gaze and said to her, "Grab on to something," and to Larg: "Do your thing, old man."

At the first sight of the first car, Larg hit the brake hard, shocking the approaching military jeeps a kilometer away. Ray saw that they had snipers with them, and used the brief moment to switch his God Arc into a long distance mode and began sniping them down.

His God Arc, like all of the newly modified God Arcs the white coats had provided them with, had three stances instead of two, with the additional one being a sniping mode that was close to a long rifle in shape and way of using. The two remaining were the close combat mode and the gun mode.

The first jeep slid from its track as the riders were slumped in their seats. Realizing that distance was not on their side, the pursuers began to open fire.

Ray quickly swung himself inside at the rain of bullets. He pressed a switch to his left to open the back door. He whistled two notes to the wolfhounds, and they bolted right through the half opened door immediately. The order was simple: _Spread out and assault them. _Ray closed the metal door again before any bullets could come crashing in.

One more was down, judging by the sound of the car sliding off and the explosion that soon followed. Ray was back on his position again to shoot when another car appeared from the side—its vehicle's sound had been masked by the others all along, the sight of it had been covered by the rocks. He thrust his shield to cover him from the bullets coming down.

"Larg!"

A gunshot came off from the front car, and the bullets stopped. As Larg sped up the truck, Ray used the chance to shot down the driver to his right and jumped to his car, taking over it.

He positioned himself to sit backward with one feet over the steer and shot again. Only two cars remained now, with Gary and Devar running in an incredible speed at their sides, waiting for a chance to strike. Their snipers and gunners had all their eyes on the two giant hounds, and only the drivers were focused on Ray. The blond took the momentum to spin the steer and then quickly jumped to the truck's top as the jeep spun wildly and hit one of the two cars.

Ray was about to shout to Larg to get closer to the last pursuer's jeep before he caught the sight of similar jeeps moving on both sides: two from the cliff meters away above them, and four from the wall of rocks at their right.

They were surrounded.

Rain of bullets from the cliff forced Larg to take a sharp turn to the right. The truck was solid and was specially designed for military purposes, but it didn't mean that it could whistand a round of attacks from two gatling guns head on.

Their pursuers pressing them to the side where the cliff was, Ray knew. He began firing again while his mind was racing thoughts. What were his options now? They could continue westward to create some distance from the gatling guns, but that was what they wanted: for them to be cornered against a narrow one-way passage and a cliff.

"Larg!" he called. "Gamma!"

"You're sure?" he shouted back, sounding grim. It was a code they'd made to communicate in a time like these.

"No choice! We'll give them what they want."

Larg made a guttural noise. "You and your suicidal tactics..."

Ray managed to shoot down the driver of the following car behind them, but his second shot missed their gunner as the truck made a turn. He didn't have time to see what happened and could only hope the hounds would take the chance to kill the man. Ray opened the door below his feet and got into the truck.

Alisa was sitting in a corner, gripping on tightly to a rail. She wasn't used to be in this kind of a mess. Surrounded by hungry Aragami, yes; by armed men with pure intention to kill and gunshots, no. He walked over to her and grabbed her wrist with his free hand, yanking her to stand up.

"We'll jump," he told her curtly.

She snapped her head at him, shock in her eyes. Before she could mutter anything, Ray said, "We will smash the truck onto the attackers once we're nearing the cliff. Jump from the back door when I told you to. Below the cliff, there is a river. It's water should be deep enough."

"But—"

He turned to face her, locking his eyes on hers, their faces only a few centimeters apart. "Just remember to jump as far as you can to avoid the rocks. I'll jump after you and do something about the fall." He paused for a second, then added in a lower voice, "You won't die."

Alisa looked uncertain for a moment, but when a round of bullets came at them again, she nodded and positioned herself near the back of the car. Ray hurriedly made his way to the side door again and measured their distance to their pursuers. Only three jeeps remained now, and Garry was nowhere to be seen. They'd gotten him.

Ray whistled again, signaling Devar to distance himself from the raging battle, and changed his God Arc into gun mode. They were closing in to the cliff. He measured their distance and position: two jeeps were still running after them from behind. One was a few paces away to their left.

The path had begun to narrow as a high wall of rocks towered against their left. There was only a few seconds left to act before it finally narrowed to where they would have no room to spin the truck.

Larg seemed to consider this as he slowed the truck down, closing the gap between the truck and the pursuing jeeps. His head sprang from the window. "On my count, Max! Three, two—"

Ray hit the switch to open the back door.

"One!"

The truck spun to the left, once, twice. Then it hit the first jeep.

Ray shot the second jeep's driver in that very second before the impact of the crash forced him to leave his post. "Jump!" he shouted to Alisa, to which the young woman complied by throwing herself into the air.

He thrust himself forward.

He heard none of the explosion resounding behind his back, not caring to even steal a glance back to look out for Larg; all of his senses and attention were focused solely on the silver-haired figure falling ahead of him.

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_**A/N : **I apologize for the long update. Midterm tests were enslaving me..._

_Oh, and I want to use this chance properly thank all of my Reviewers! You guys are the best! XD_

_I hope you'd still lend me your support in the chapters to come!_


	15. Chapter 11: Reopening Wounds

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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_**A/N : **I've finally done the picture for this fanfiction of mine! The cover-art can be sen full-view in my deviantart account. The link to my dA can be found in my fanfiction profile._

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**Chapter 11**

**Reopening Wounds**

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07 – 09 – 2075 / 09:24:51

It all happened in mere seconds.

Alisa hadn't had any chance to measure the height of the cliff, but when dark water loomed before her sight, she lunged herself into the air. She knew she had very little time to adjust her position so the crash wouldn't be suicidal, but before she could react, suddenly, the gust of wind rushing her from the fall were stopped—it was replaced by a familiar warmth that enveloped her.

Ray grabbed her just a few meters before she hit the calm surface of the water with one arm. He thrust his God Arc in shield mode to reduce the impact of their fall.

The water hit them hard, a sharp, throbbing sensation against her body.

Coldness gripped Alisa as air from her lungs were knocked out, forcing her to gasp unconsciously on instinct to breathe and hence, choking her, since water was the only subtsance that was around at the time being. She could feel the impact of two jeeps crashing down into the water not far from where they were, then Ray used his weapon as a hoister to dash away, evading the metal chunks and large piles of what had been the truck. She saw nothing in the looming darkness, and even if she had opened her eyes, she knew everything would be a blur.

Ray loosened his grip on her and she slowly began to descend. The God Arc he was wielding was an additional weight that would only pull her down if they clung together, so Alisa forced her body to move and kicked her brain into gear. Lungs searing, strength draining, she pushed her body upward. And when she was able to reach the surface, she quickly drew in some air.

She floated still for some seconds, her eyes blinking away water while searching for land. She swam to the side, carrying her body heavily onto the topsoil, then began coughing.

She looked back to see if Ray had popped out of the water when the former Den leader's weapon was tossed to the ground beside her. It dropped with a muffled sound. Then the wielder came out, gasping for air, and looked around until he found her. He swam over to the side after making sure that their attackers were either drowned for good or had been killed in the explosion.

Ray put up his God Arc from the ground and looked up at the cliff from where they'd jumped off before rain of bullets came after them.

"Move," he said curtly; all crisp and business-like. He was already jogging far off the river. She quickly followed suit.

They were going into a rocky, dry area beaten by years of global warming for being unshielded from the sun. Barely, from the conture of the land, Alisa could spot what had been formerly a thinly forested area. She briefly wondered of how the area should be like seventy years ago, when the world had more green than earthen brown. NORN, of course, had provided them with data left by humans from tens and hundreds years ago: images of nature's beauty, musics and poems inspired by mother earth, videos of people in an unimaginable number crowding the land, and so forth. Every bit of them only instilled wonder as well as envy into her mind.

As they moved deeper, the wind picked up and whispered through the jagged rocks and stones, making her shiver beneath her wet clothes. Ray wasn't showing any signs that he was going to stop soon. Apparantly, the wet and heavy coat wasn't bothering him at all. Alisa watched his back almost absent-mindedly as she ran to keep her pace with his light, nimble steps.

He seemed to be all right despite having shielding her from the fall. She knew though, that the impact of crashing from such height into a deep water was roughly the same as if they'd hit the ground from a ten-stories building. Even for Gods Eaters, people whose physical abilities had been enhanced, such a desperate action might result in fatal injuries.

But he was a Gods Eater no more.

Although she was staring at the same back she had decided to follow three years ago, there was something different in it. Was it grief that was apparent in his moevements? Or was it anger? No. It was something deeper than that, she decided. She could remember the look on his eyes when he'd shot down their attackers. There had been no malice in those eyes; only emptyness that refused to contain any remorse for the dead nor feelings for the living.

Her heart began to ache at the thought of it. She shoved the bitter feelings away and tried to shut her mind so she wouldn't slow her feet down.

Then, Ray suddenly stopped running, his abrupt stop almost making her crashing against his back. He turned and eyed her for a short while before saying, "We'll switch to plan B. We're going to wait for Lar. We'll head to a nearby sector, where an ally has been planted. We'll stay there for the next twenty four hours." He produced a small device from his pocket and studied it as the thing emitted a weak beeping sound. "The residental area should be somewhere around here. I've contacted the person there."

When Alisa didn't reply, he slightly tilted his head. "The wet coat's uncomfortable on you?"

She averted her eyes to the ground, not wanting to give voice to her mind screaming from the cold and extra weight. "I'm fine." Of course, they hadn't had the time to bring extra clothes, so she knew she would only drag him down were she to say yes.

He stared at her for a moment, then simply said: "You're lying," before turning round and shoved the device back into his pocket. He motioned for her to follow him as he walked over to a nearby set of rocks forming a short wall that was facing the sun. "Put it off. We'll rest until it's dry," he said as he settled into a sitting position, his back against the hard, uneven surface. He was facing the sun so his clothes too would dry.

Alisa suppressed an exasperated sigh and shoved her wet hair back over her shoulders before removing her coat and hanging it on a pointy end of the rock. It left her only with her usual white Fenrir uniform, and truthfully she felt better. She eased herself to sit beside him, maintaining a good distance.

"What of Larg?" Alisa asked.

Ray didn't glance at her and folded his arms instead, assuming a relaxed, yet guarded, stance. For a second, Alisa thought that he was not going to answer, but after a moment of considering, he said, "He'll be fine on his own."

The silence stretched with an uncomfortable feeling settling inside her still. It was sickening as well as confusing: whenever they were alone, she felt that all she wanted to do was running away from him or crying over her own inability to fix things between them. Emotions would always bubble up inside her whenever he was around—making her wonder if she would be able to keep herself together at times.

"I... have been meaning to say," she slowly said after some minutes of silence. Aware of her heart's fastening rythm, she squeezed her eyes shut to calm herself. "It's fine if you don't want to talk. But... I just want to tell you that I am truly sorry." She paused for a moment to wait for any reactions. Ray was silent, so she continued, "I may not understand your pain or what has been the cause of it... But, if there's anything I can help with..."

Her grip around herself tightened.

_No_. There was nothing she could do to atone for her selfishness. Not after what she'd experienced and seen through his eyes. She, of all people, should have known that.

"You should stop being concerned," put in Ray. Alisa eyed him from the corner of her eyes and found nothing in his face. He was wearing his usual blank, emotionless facade. "Even if you could do something, I wouldn't ask for it." She noticed that his gaze, although not meeting hers, was giving way to flickered emotions. And when he spoke, his voice was tender and soft, and this was the first time she'd heard him sounding like his old self once again. Though not his words.

"I've decided to stop."

She'd guessed such an answer. But she couldn't help but feeling as if the ground beneath her had just fallen into pieces. "On living?" she asked, trying to keep her voice normal.

He slowly nodded. "And on wishing."

"May I know why?"

Something lost moved behind the reddening orbs as the cold little smile found its way back to his lips. "It's a simple childish theory I developed months ago, actually. When I've found out that they were trying to revive my dead cells by fusing them with mutated oracle cells, I thought that there was no distinction between humans and the monsters we know as Aragami. And why not? We are basically the same: we have the same instinct to live, to devour, to survive and to prey on one another. It was so simple I found it amusing.

"But then, after witnessing the deaths of the other lab rats during the initiation, I realized that there was one thing that set humans apart from the beasts: the instinct to wish. Unlike the beasts and animals who will only go hunting when they're hungry, humans are greedy creatures; they will never be satisfied with what they have and will always wish for more.

"I found that I have fallen between the two categories and was unable to distinct myself from the others—as I was the only revived one among the lab rats there. So I chose to discard my dead self and stop on wishing." He lifted one shoulder and looked at her with a cocked eyebrow. "I told you it was childish."

She looked sidelong at him then slowly shook her head, yet no words came from her mouth.

The feeling of losing everything and having nothing but regret were what had been haunting her for who knows how long after one tragedy after another. She understood the need to discard everything away and the temptation to give in to one's own madness. And that was why she was silent: words would never be able to reach someone who had chosen to give up on living.

"Now enough talking. We should move," Ray said as he rose to his feet. He took the her coat from the rock and measured it, feeling that it'd dried enough. Whatever material they'd used to make it, Fenrir had none of it.

Alisa got up as well and walked over to him. But instead of taking the coat from him, she grabbed his arm, leant closer, then pulled his head down and rose to her toes. All done in one swift motion.

She softly pressed her lips against his.

* * *

xx - 0 - xx

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07 – 09 – 2075 / 10:21:22

Ray didn't react: genuinely taken aback by the sudden movement.

His heart began to leap in pace at the slide of her lips on his—though not as if he was excited or was it similar in any way as it had used to be. They felt warm against his, and his skin flared into a foreign level awareness as the hand that was on the back of his neck gently brushed his short hair, her right hand was pulling him closer by the shoulder.

But Ray sensed that there was something else behind the gesture: something sad and lost that he couldn't decipher of the meaning. It raised nagging questions on his mind, seemingly to draw his consciousness over to search for the answer. But he didn't relent and stood completely still.

Seconds passed like hours for Ray before Alisa broke the lip-contact and slowly withdrew her arms off him. She held his gaze evenly and despite the mingled melancholy that was clear in the blue orbs. He could watch the dance of reflected sunlight playing off her eyes.

Alisa took the coat from him and stepped back, almost a bit too reluctantly.

"You haven't let me said any parting words," she said in a whisper. Her gaze dropping to the ground, her hair forming a curtain over her darkened face.

Words flickered in his mind but he shut his mouth. He turned and held his God Arc on one shoulder. "Let's go."

Without glancing back at her, he began walking, his mind desperately shutting any thoughts that'd been stirred up by the kiss. Alisa followed him a distance behind without a word.

Following the coordinate shown on his device, they continued to go southward until a distant view of a sector came up from behind tall rocks. Despite the slightly cold weather, the sun was hanging up high in the clear sky. He wasn't sure whether he should be thankful of the fair sunlight since he was more at ease when it was raining. But given the circumstances that they had to enter the residental area in the light, he chose to cope along. Being stealthy would only draw unneccessary suspicion in this kind of situation.

As they got nearer, Ray made a quick calculation of the area they were about to enter. The sector was huge: it was walled with metal bars and solid gates towering far above their heads, with armed guards patrolling around and trees surrounding it. There was a set of heavy weaponry installed at the wall, indicating that they had no Anti-Aragami Shield. Which was only natural, since the area was not registered under Fenrir's.

He put down his God Arc and placed it at a small natural creak on the rocks nearby. Someone would find it through the low signal it emitted and collect it for him.

"Do not remove your coat or show the emblem on your back," he told Alisa as they neared one of the gates with some people lining up in front of it. "Conceal the armlet."

She did as she was told and buttoned the end of her sleeve. With that, no one would see the red armlet under the dark clothing at a first glance. Now he could only hope their contact there had received the signal he'd sent and prepared a clean way for them to enter the area.

He scanned the people before they lined up. There were only three guards at the entrance: one was with the duty of checking everyone's passport, two others were on guard duty. Both were armed. Ray slowly moved a hand into his pocket and pressed a button on the device twice, his eyes searching for a familiar face behind the gates.

Then he found him: a man dressed plainly in brown and black who was standing just behind the guard post. The man nodded very slightly to him. _Wait, _was the message.

Then came their turn to be inspected, and Ray gave two fake ID cards. The contact approached them when the guard was still analyzing the perfect copies lazily, and proceeded to greet them afterwards. "I've been waiting," he said with a smile. Ray had speculated that he was around forty when he had first seen him, but looking closer, in his short haircut, the brown-haired man appeared to be younger than that. There was a long scar across his face that started from his forehead that cut to his left cheek.

"You may pass," said the guard after eyeing them absently.

Ray and Alisa followed the contact into the sector, and at their entry, he could spot awe in her eyes upon the view of the inner fortress.

Piles of houses were scatterred across the vast area, with a large tower standing at the center. Towers that acted as pilars that were connected to the center were planted solidly in eight places, each branching pipelines that connected to one another. Above them, there was a canopy of metal bars that allowed them to see the sky clearly. Ray guessed that there should be some kind of mechanism that would shut the bars were there any threat from above, which then would serve as a solid roof for the sector.

"Welcome to the Nest," said the man, glee in his tone. "Somehow, I always get amused at outsiders' expressions upon their first visit here."

"I've been here before," Ray interjected, pausing long enough to communicate his displeasure. "Though not at daytime."

He grinned. "Of course. I still remember you, Max. Working with people like you has never failed in lighting up my boring life." He made a gesture for them to follow him.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

The man laughed. He turned to eye Alisa, the smile plastered on his face widening into a grin. "And I had _absolutely_ no idea that the messenger would be a pretty young woman like you, miss."

Alisa blushed a bit at the comment and returned the smile politely. She had the intelligence not to reply at the flirt.

Ray sighed inwardly. "You haven't changed at all. What do they call you here now?"

"_Scar_," he replied, almost all too happily.

Ray snorted a laugh. "Very creative."

Scar led them deeper into the sector filled with people. Vendors could be found at every corner of the area, while people were moving about on the sprawling streets, busy with whatever business they got on their hands. Ray wondered of how many people living in here. A thousand? Maybe more if he looked deeper into the slum areas located at the far back of the place. One thing he had to be thankful of the place was that it was so lively that no one would really bother to look at strangers a second time.

After ten minutes of walking, they arrived at Scar's house. It was a two-stories building; not too large nor it was anywhere near luxurious; but still, it was a very grand place for a man who lived alone. Ray suspected that he had used a fake registeration code to own the house. Such was a method of an informant.

The owner let his guests enter first, then said to them, "You may want to rest while I go outside to get some clothes for the mistress here. Going around in _that_ uniform is inviting troubles, after all."

"Is the fraction governing the sector in bad terms with Fenrir?" Alisa asked.

"Well, I won't say exactly in bad terms. It's just that Fenrir has many..." Scar trailed off as he put one hand to his chin, searching for a word that would fit and found it: "Haters. Especially in this region."

Alisa slowly nodded, as if taking the fact into consideration. Her 'ignorance' was not something Scar should be surprised of, Ray thought. For a Gods Eater like her, someone who lived in a secluded world only colored by Aragami blood and rusty scent of her God Arc, it was only natural that she wouldn't get so much of a chance to see the world from another light given the short time she had for herself. And as a plus, she'd spent her childhood in a hospital, and _was_ a New-Type Gods Eater—the busiest combatant in their rank.

He, too, would be oblivious to the world if he hadn't been elected leader _and_ got ressurected.

Scar was telling Alisa of the situation in the sector, to which Ray was not interested in hearing. He left them wordlessly and made a way to the second floor. He opened a door to an empty bedroom he'd occupied for a short while during his last stay here. Glad to be away from the his companies, he removed his coat and tossed it onto a chair nearby and sat heavily on the mattress, heaving a long sigh.

If there was nothing wrong with the preparation, they would only be delayed for two or three days. That was enough time for him to rest. Yet, it suddenly became too much as he remembered that he was stuck with _her_ for the whole time until then.

Ray unconsciously recalled of the moment when she'd kissed him and frowned. The gesture implied so many things he didn't understand. Was she bidding her farewell? No, it couldn't be. Eventhough her words had claimed so, he knew there was something else behind the gesture. Then...

_Stop thinking, idiot._

He stood up and shook his head. It had been a while since his mind was in a chaos like this, and the last time it'd happened, it had cost him his consciousness to the beast within.

Ray opened a drawer to the side of his bed and found a stack of clothes neatly placed in there. He grabbed a long-sleeved shirt and dark jeans, then changed his dirty clothes. He was about to go jostle himself back onto the bed when a sharp pain attacked his wrist.

Red dots began to grow on the white bandage where the armlet had been, followed by a numbling sensation that gripped his right hand.

The bleeding effect.

Again.

It was something he'd grown accustomed to, this gross side effect, especially after they'd forcibly removed the supposed-to-be-attached-forever armlet off his wrist, which had also cut the normal route for bias factor supply injection. Since his cells had mutated, it was impossible to keep the armlet attached to him while there was still the old bias factor flowing inside of it. So they had made a simple decision to remove it.

_Could this day get any worse...?_ Ray mused tiredly. But before he could stride to the bathroom across the hallway, his hand on the door's handle stopped.

From one floor below him, he could hear the door being clamped shut and Scar's dwindling footsteps leaving the house, as well as Alisa's who was making way to the staircase. He withdrew his hand and chose to wait until he heard her entering the third vacant room in the house.

Ray found himself unclenching his fists.

_Stop thinking._

He let out a long, slow breath, controlling and harnessing his thoughts.

Whatever was going to happen, he knew it was not going to be a pleasant stay.

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_**A/N : **The story is moving faster to reach another climax. And for your information, the Nest that was introduced in this chapter is closely resembling the residental sector Alisa and Soma visit in the 2nd Break Official Manga. The idea is that this sector is also under the influence of a governing force hostile to Fenrir in the manga._

_And again, I want to express my gratitude to my Reviewers and friends who have supported me this far. Thanks a million! I'd be nothing without you guys!_

___Please do R&R if you're interested._


	16. Chapter 12: You're Alive

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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**Chapter 12**

**You're Alive**

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09 – 09 – 2075 / 07:12:04

"You cook."

Ray scowled at the order. He stared back at Scar, who was folding his arms demandingly while mustering a taunting look, as if daring him to retort. "Do it yourself," Ray said.

Scar shrugged. "I'll be going out. Taking care of stuffs and such. You don't want to leave tomorrow with a broken engine, do you?"

Finding that he had no saying in the matter, Ray finally nodded. The scowl wasn't leaving his face, though. "Some attitude you have, enslaving your guest like this," he muttered. Then without a waiting for a reply, Ray left the hallway and headed over to the kitchen located at the far back of the house.

After he'd heard the front door slammed shut, Ray breathed deeply.

Cooking. Fine, he thought.

He briefly scanned the room for any utensils and opened the fridge for a quick glance at what was inside. Scar was never really fond of eating at home since he would usually go to nearby bars or tavern to eat, so what Ray found was not satisfying: there were only some packs of frozen meat, a bottle of milk, and cans of beer stucked up. Ray searched around the kitchen until he found some instant food packed neatly in a drawer, then chose to make a simple pasta out of the present materials. It wouldn't be a grand dinner, but it would suffice, he decided.

Rolling up his sleeves, the blond began to work.

Some minutes had passed in silence, only broken by sounds of boiling water and meat being chopped, when Ray's enchanced senses caught the sound of faint, dwindling footsteps slowly climbing down the stairs. He suppressed the need to sigh. If anything, the former soldier leaving would mean that _he_ would be alone in the house with Alisa. Again.

The Russian had behaved politely in the house, acting just like she had when Larg had been around. But unlike before, she didn't try to talk to him anymore; she was much more stoic now. Ray had distanced himself further due to the confusing thoughts and emotions that would always be stirred whenever she was close by, so he was not pleased at all when he heard her walking toward the kitchen. He absently recalled Larg's words of him being like a pouting child and tried to relax by inhaling deeply.

"Are you cooking?" she asked him once she arrived.

Ray didn't bother to turn around or glance at her. "Scar's going out to take care of stuffs." That should be an explanation enough to drive her away, but she lingered at the doorway.

"Can I help in any way?"

At that, he finally turned and gave her a look. He knew her better than anyone else; it was no secret to the people living in the Den that the New-Type couldn't cook. "You can be a taster," he said after thinking—and dismissing—some smart replies that came to his head. There was no use of being sarcastic when she had a point. He was not cooking just for himself, after all.

Alisa nodded and walked over to the two boiling pots.

"Tell me what's lacking," Ray said as he busied himself with a handful meat and a small bag of mayonaise.

Alisa eyed the pot then her eyes travelled back to look at him, her gaze growing tender. "I've heard from Larg," she softly said, "of some... deficiencies from the cell mutation."

He raised one eyebrow, unimpressed. "Oh?"

"He said that the side effects vary from one person to one another..."

Ray leant down a bit to inhale. From the look of the color and the scent, the boiling pasta sauce seemed to have come out okay. "Taste it."

She grabbed a spoon from a nearby counter and sipped on the sauce. She seemed thoughtful for a moment, then stared back at him. Sympathy gleamed in the blue orbs. In a mere whisper, she said, "You can't taste anymore."

Which was true. His taste buds didn't function as they normally had after the mutated oracle cells had been successfully implanted. It made anything that came to his mouth feel either like an old boot or a very plain cooking a deficient old lady might serve. Oddly enough, sweetness was left as the only thing that he could taste.

Putting his weight onto one feet, Ray pursed his lips. "You're helping me cook or interrogating me?"

Those blue eyes became distant at his toneless reply as she tried to burry her emotions underneath her placidity. It happened in a blink of an eye, but it hadn't escaped Ray's sight. Alisa let the silence stretched as if still in need of some time to judge the taste, then said, "It's good enough."

"Then let's be done with it."

Ray finished his work with Alisa helping with the serving, but when everything was almost done, a familiar sensation of his lungs burning began to grow inside of him. He looked at the clock hanging on the wall and decided that it was time for his routine medication.

"You eat first," he said as he was leaving for his room.

Once he was outside her range of vision, he broke into a run and raced onto the stairs, his footsteps producing a sound no louder than those of a cat's. The aching feeling was growing as he paced. He knew that the mediaction period had been shortened because of the fight he had with the armed men two days ago. Nothing was more energy consuming than a battle fought on moving vechiles.

He bolted into his room and quickly searched the drawer, only to be rewarded with an empty space. How could—

Ray snarled.

Of course. The truck.

They hadn't had the time to evacuate the case containing the new bias factor. All of those little bags had undoubtedfully drown along with the truck when they'd slammed the car against their pursuers.

How could he had not thought of a better way? Had he been so preoccupied at constructing a strategy that would let their messenger escape certain death rather than thinking over _his _own life-extender?

Sitting at the edge of his bed, he succumbed his head into his palms. It was all because of his messy head, he cursed. But, of course, the ever agressive oracle cells never sympathize with their host's mental condition, for in a matter of seconds, he could feel his body heat rising up. Fast.

The _burning effect _was unlike a sickness—which grew worse as time passed by. Quite the opposite, it would always attack in a row in mere minutes, with the pain escalating with each tickle of the clock's if not attended to immediately. Ray choked. It felt as if he had gulped some acidic liquid. And as if to add salt to the wound, his wrist began bleeding again. How he lotahed himself when he looked upon the red blood sluicing down his right hand. The blood dripped onto the floor. Its sharp, sweet scent attacked his nostrils.

He shut his eyes to block it out and thought of a solution to this. And found none.

Never had he been in a situation like this. The lab which he and his kind were being kept in was always fully stocked with the life-extending liquid they needed, and even if they were travelling, never had they lost the case containing the bags. But then again, they'd never been tasked to _protect _a living person while battling their way out from dozens of armed men.

His thoughts were in disarray. Flashes of imgaes from his own memories and high-pitched sounds from his surroundings began to conquer his mind. He fought down the urge to break something as every cell in his body screamed for the new bias factor.

Falling to the ground, Ray planted his fists to the floor and tried to suppress the bubbling, wild emotion that was trying to take over his mind. He threw one hand onto the side of his body, letting his nails digging into his flesh in hopes that the pain would keep his mind working.

In the midst of his own insanity, he recalled of the times he'd spent in the underground lab: of what had become of the unattended subjects back during their initiation days. From the cold, lifeless test subjects whose only purpose was to survive whatever test the scientists had to throw upon them, they had transformed into madmen with only one sole intention to devour. They had been Aragami with the exterior of humans, to be precise. He and the other 'successes' had been the ones who had dispatched them.

Brifely, he wondered if they'd cursed their killers to suffer the same fate. They must have, he thought as he recalled pairs of red eyes staring coldly at him.

How he wished Larg was around: he would beg for the lagre man's mercy to end his life, and he knew he would comply without a word, just like how they had all done in the past to their so-called comrade in arms. Such a wishful thinking...

Every bit of Ray's breaths was a labored effort now that he had to gasp for air through his mouth. He was too busy wrestling his body and instincts into place that he was some seconds too late to hear Alisa's approaching footsteps. When he did, it was already too late to prevent her from nearing his room's door. She stopped before the door.

_Damn_.

He could smell the fresh blood from her minor wounds now. And it did nothing but to increase the pitch of his mutated cell's choruses for fresh food.

There was a knock. "Ray?"

He breathed hard and tried to speak, but the word was gurgled at his dry throat.

The door creaked open, and it swung slowly—reluctantly—inside. "I heard loud noises from your room. Is—" A gasp escaped her the moment Ray jumped forward and seized her on the neck, sending her against the wall.

He pined her against it, his consciousness barely processing Alisa's shocked, horrified gaze directed at him as she assessed the wild look that must have colored the reddening orbs. She choked when he tightened his grip, draining the life and strength out of her.

Then feelings and emotions that he knew weren't his rushed into his mind.

They spoke of pain.

Of guilt. Of desperation.

And the most dominant of all: anger at oneself.

It happenned and ended in flash that Ray was forced to release her neck and staggered back, making Alisa fall kneeling to the ground, coughing and writhing in pain as she tried to fill her lungs with air.

"Out," he growled, crouching and breathing heavily against the floor, his bloody fists clenching in desperation to stop them from tearing anything that was within his reach. "Get out!"

But warmth enveloped him instead.

"The hell are you—"

The arms around him were tightening despite his struggle to break free. He yanked and almost literally biting his fingers onto her at one desperate attempt, but stopped when he could feel warm tears on the side of his head as she held him firm. Alisa was weeping.

His limbs and muscles were not his at the moment, and eventhough the pain was not as severe as before, his body was still refusing to heed to his brain. "Let go," he said roughly, and once again, struggled in vain against her.

Alisa said nothing. Aand he knew she wasn't going to adhere.

Eventually, he gave in to her warmth, and his train of thoughts were slowing down at the scent of her. He had converted everything that'd been left of him to struggle against his own beastly instincts rather than against the arms imprisoning him, an action which had consumed his energy more than he'd expected possible. Though whether it had been caused by the Resonance or the tiny bit of lingering human sense, he didn't know.

Exhaustion soon replaced pain; fog in his mind drove diziness away; darkness crept into his vision. He fell limp in her arms, his breathing was slowing down against her shoulder. Alisa, realizing that he didn't have the strength to resist anymore, loosened her grip around him. The hand that had been clutched onto his back moved to caress the back of his hair, easing him.

"Rest," she said close to his ear; so soft Ray was not sure whether he was imagining her speaking or not.

His tired mind complied without arguing this time. And the one-word question that floated on his mind was left unspoken as he drifted into an empty world inhabited by those who could no longer see dreams.

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10 – 09 – 2075 / 08:19:25

Ray's muscles were aching like hell when he woke up the next day with a groan. His mind was still airy and he could literally saw black dots blurring his vision when he saw the sunlight streaming through the half-opened window. But when he looked down at his wrist and saw that someone had changed the bandage, he rose up sharply to his feet.

He didn't pay any mind to his state, and was foced to lean onto the wall for some seconds to steady his breathing. After he was sure the dizzying sensation was gone, he ran out of his room and headed straight to Alisa's. He could hear her moving about in it, so he barged in, not bothering to knock or call out for her permission to enter.

He had no time for pleasantaries nor politeness.

Alisa turned to face him, surprised by the sudden intrusion, yet said nothing. Her face was still a bit pale, the skin on her neck bruised, and although covered by the dark shirt she was wearing, he could tell from her stiff movements that there were scratches all over her body.

Ray crossed the room with two long strides and grabbed her by the arm, so quick she didn't have the time to question his actions, so firm he knew she wouldn't be able to break free. He glared down at her.

"You could've died," he spat in a low voice, his jaw stiffening with frustation. Alisa opened her mouth to say something, but before words managed to come out, he said, "What is wrong with you? Didn't I tell you to mind your own business?"

She closed her eyes momentarily. Her gaze were softening when she looked at him. "I've been meaning to say something..."

"Don't change the subject!"

She shook her head and fixed him a soft, yet determined look. "I haven't had the time to thank you properly."

He scoffed. "For what?"

"For everything that you've done to me." A subtle smile was blooming on her lips when she spoke, her eyes becoming glassy with tears at the reminiscence of the years they'd spent together back at the Den. "You stayed with me when everyone else had left. You taught me how to fight to protect those who are dear to me and showed me many things my vengence-corrupted self was unable to see."

Alisa had been a very different person before the series of unfortunate events unfolding upon their first year as Gods Eaters: always hiding behind the mask of confidence, always clutching tightly to her armor of pride. But time had changed things. Those defenses had been shattering, and behind the thick walls, there stood a much gentler and kinder person who had been locked inside.

Ray remembered when he had first heard her truly laugh at Lindow and Sakuya's wedding party; not a laughter colored with pride or the one that served merely as a tool in social interactions. For the first time in the years they'd known each other, it had been the most genuine one he had heard. And from that time on, he had decided that he wanted to hear it again.

He had forgotten all about it until now.

"If I was able to overcome my darkness, then it was all because of your support." She dipped her head low, as if to cover her quavering lips. "For that... I want to thank you."

And that was why she'd gone so far as to-

"It didn't change the fact that your action was foolish and brash," he spat, brushing away the questions in his head. "What do you think would have happenned if things hadn't worked out the way you wanted to?"

"It was a decision I've made on my own," she calmly replied. That little smile was never leaving her face. "And even if things hadn't worked out well, I still wouldn't regret it."

Ray suddenly felt sick. The blue orbs that stared back to his should be filled with at least horror or doubts, given what they had witnessed. But they were still and unwavering. They reminded him of what feeling he had affiliated them with, and it took a lot of effort to keep them in one place.

"I don't understand." He released her arm and repeated the words: "I don't understand. You of all people should understand the need to let things go and forget..."

Alisa slowly raised her hand and placed her palm gently on his chest, feeling his heart beating against it as she closed her eyes, savouring the constant movement with her touch. "I understand that completely. But such a thing would only apply to the things that are non-existent." She was quiet for a moment before continuing. "But you're _alive_," she quietly said.

She withdrew her hand, and a tight-lipped smile was on its way back to her forlorn face. "The simple things you'd done have saved me. I want to able to do something in return... even if you would despise me of doing so."

Something deflated in him like an untied baloon, and he couldn't pinpoint at what exactly the dissapointment had just bitten: at himself, or at the ambiguity of her words. But he kept silent.

"I may not be able to understand it," she said as her eyes darted from his to nothing in particular. Ray could see her clenching and unclenching her fists. "But I _know _your pain. I've_ felt_ it. And hate myself for being so self-centered while you are suffering."

Those things did not need to be elaborated in words. If she had felt his share of pain through the Resonance, then so had he.

"You've done enough," Ray finally said in a murmur. He drifted his eyes to the bruised skin on her neck and arms and narrowed his eyes. "I'd score poorly as an escort if they saw you like this."

Alisa managed a smile and said, "It's fine. I'm used to it. I'm a Gods Eater, after all." She paused and then added, "From my point of view, you've done your job as an escort well."

She was implying to his actions back when they'd been 'forced' to jump off a cliff, and he disliked thinking about how uncalculative he had been at the time: as to have forgotten the new bias factor entirely. Tiredness began to crawl into his mind when he looked back at her. "Ask Scar for a healing salve before we leave," he said.

"Are your hands healing?"

"I'm fine." He shoved his bandaged hand into his pocket, and clenched the other. Albeit slower than usual, they were healing quite fast it almost left no bruises or scars visible on his skin. His right wrist was entirely a different story, though, since he wasn't even sure that the wound would stop nauseating him for the rest of his life. "Be more concerned of yourself."

Her smile grew at his words, but she said nothing. Ray could only guess that she would never oblige willingly to the order.

Scar's voice filled in the silence, as he was shouting from the first floor to his guests to get prepared for their departure. Ray trailed back to where he'd come from and was about to exit the room when he heard her saying, "Should I call you like everyone else?"

There was no hint of sarcasm or the likes in the question. It was a pure, simple question out of respect.

Truth to be told, Max wasn't his choice of name. It had been a nickname he'd gotten from Larg without the large man knowing his full name. He paused by the door to ponder, then came into a decision: "You don't have to."

Was that his conscience speaking, or the fear of losing his identity? Neither, perhaps, or even both. Either way, he knew for sure if he were to die once again in her heart, then he would choose to die as Ray. So that he could live without turning back. So he could live as Max, and hopefully, find solace in his second death.

Ray shut the door behind him and proceeded downstairs to meet the scarred man who had been waiting for him. Scar arched one eyebrow at the sight of him. "Ready to go home?"

"It's not my home," Ray curtly replied. He walked past him to the sink in the kitchen and washed his face, letting the water washing away his uncertainties.

Scar tilted his head to one side as he rumaged the back of his head. "Yeah, whatever. By the way, you guys hadn't touched the food last night. Did something... happen?"

He glanced back at Scar, eyeing him with slitted eyes.

A mischevous grin was spreading over Scar's face when he spoke again. "Let me guess: has the ever monotone Max fallen for a former comrade? I have to admit: the gal's breathtaking. Never met a Gods Eater _that _hot. So," hee paused for a dramatic effect, "what were you _two_ doing while I was away?"

Assuming a similar sly smile, Ray replied, "Believe me: You wouldn't want to know."

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_**A/N : **Next chapter's leak - Alisa and Ray are going back to the Den to confront Fenrir. GE 2 casts are going to the stage. _

_Do RnR if you're interested, for your Reviews are my source of energy and inspiration! :D_


	17. Chapter 13: Homecoming

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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**Chapter 13**

**Homecoming**

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13 – 09 – 2075 / 22:33:08

Anti-Aragami Wall, a man-made armor made from materials laced with bias factor for various uses. For those under the protection of Fenrir, the Wall was a blessing, as well as a wall that divided two completely distinct worlds, as one could never hope to survive in the outside world where countless of Aragami were lurking about. For Gods Eaters, though, it was a mark of a line they had crossed to protect humanity.

After they had rendezvoused with Larg and Devar, the only remaining hybrid wolfhound they had brought along with them, the group had crossed the borders by using fake identity cards provided by Scar. From there, they had travelled using a copter—though the air route they had used still remained a mistery to Alisa as the copter's windows were painted black and they hadn't encountered any of Fenrir's men.

The resumed travel had gone quietely, with Ray talking only to Larg to briefly ask of any new information of the situation, and the giant's occassional sarcastic remarks. Though Ray hadn't talked to her besides from asking of her wounds and curtly replying to the similar questions, Alisa could see his growing restlessness as they neared the Den. He had his hands folded all the time, a sign of his wall of self-defense mechanism shielding him from nervousness. (Larg, of course, had supplied him with some of the new bias factor he'd managed to dig from the lake's depth, but it seemed that it had done nothing to his state of mind).

Arriving just before dusk at the familiar barren land of what had been a country called Japan years ago, they had travelled by car to reach the Far East Branch. It had taken almost half a day for them to reach the Outer Ghetto, and that was easily a remarkable time record, since packs of Aragami had gotten in their way.

From where they were now, Alisa could see the tall Wall surrounding the city. The Wall seemed to have been repaired since the last attack. There were still some workers and builders working on it, she saw, but almost all the major damages had been taken care of.

"Remember," Larg was saying when the main gate had come into view, "you are to request immediate meeting with your higher ups as soon as you are permitted entry. We will wait for Fenrir's response from the coast."

Alisa nodded.

"Consider your life's threatened if you try to destroy the message," Larg continued. "I'm sure you get what I mean."

Another nod.

He hit the brake and the jeep was halted into a stop only some distance apart from the Outer Wall. He gestured toward some groups of people lurking outside of the thick Anti-Aragami Armor; those were people who were waiting to be given permission to enter the ghetto, people searching for shelter and food. "We'll blend in with the beggars there," he said. "Now go and be quick. Max and I don't have much time without our 'food.'"

Alisa got out of the jeep and inhaled deeply. She remembered how she had always done this little ritual of hers upon her coming back from missions. It had always reminded her to feel grateful to be alive after surviving the madness of the outside world.

She cast a glance at her companions. Ray, who was sitting at the back with Devar, was watching her silently, his face not giving away any thoughts or emotions he must be hiding beneath the cold surface.

"How much time do you have left with your current supply?" she asked.

Larg grunted as he thought. "Maybe a week or so, if no fighting should be done."

"I understand." She suppressed the urge to let her gaze linger a little while longer at Ray and walked over to the Wall.

Five armed guards were standing in front of the large gate, busy questioning people's identities and business. As she neared them, she could spot their growing alertness at the white uniform she wore beneath the long coat. One of the guards hurriedly made a way past through the thin crowd of people. He seemed to recognize her. "Miss Alisa," he breathed. "We heard that you were reported MIA."

Alisa was about to tell the man to keep his voice low, but it seemed that it was too late, for heads were turning her way, eyes falling to the red armlet on her wrist. A Gods Eater had always been a striking figure in society. Especially when one was standing among commoners late at night when no patrolling duty had been assigned.

She tried to dismiss the uncomfortable feeling of being watched and kept her voice calm when she spoke. "Yes. It was a long story, but I need to get inside the Den. Fast. I bring an urgent message for the Director."

"Uh, yes, ma'am," the guard said after hesitating for a moment. "We'll drive you to the fortress." He barked an order to a subordinate nearby, and the younger man quickly ran to get a car. "This way, please," he said as he motioned for Alisa to follow him.

They rode silently to the fortress, with Alisa's mind running over possible scenarios of what would Fenrir's response be upon hearing her story and seeing the message she carried. _Focus,_ she snapped at herself. There was no time to be busy with her own mind.

Alisa quickly got out of the car and made her way into the inner fortress after they'd arrived in the Den. She had to be thankful that it was night, for there were fewer people about who would try to stop her and launch questions at the mere sight of her.

Her name was chorused in gasps and murmurs as she walked briskly through the hallway leading to the longue. Hibari, who was in charge of the front desk, was about to run to Alisa from her post upon her entry were it not for Alisa who ran first to the desk. She said, "Please call up a meeting with Tsubaki and the Director. I need to speak with them."

Taken aback by such a sudden request, the young Japanese woman blinked. "W-what? At this hour? But where have you—"

"Hibari, please," Alisa cut in. She produced a small disk from the coat's pocket and handed it over to her. "Send a request first and I'll explain everything later. Tell them that I bring a message from the Black Cloaks."

She opened her mouth to utter more questions upon the infamous name, but Alisa's stern gaze made her comply nontheless. As the operator did as she was told, some Gods Eaters on standby quickly approached the Russian.

"You're alive!" Anette Koenig, a fellow New-Type Gods Eater, hugged her.

Shun, a young Gods Eater with tousled red hair, said, "What happened to you? You were nowhere to be found after Aegis has been infiltrated! We thought that you were killed by them!"

"Hey, hey, give her time to breathe, will you?" said Karrel as he waved a hand to his friend. "Seriously though... What happened? What's this all of a sudden? What do you mean by a message from _them_?"

Alisa, almost out of breath from the rain of questions alone, tried to shove off the tiredness that had crept into her mind. "It was a long story," she managed to say after Anette had let her go. A smile bloomed on her lips at the faces before her, which turned into a giggle. "And you're not giving me the time to breathe at all."

She never knew meeting her comrades in arms would feel _this _relieving. She'd only been apart from them for a few days, but given the circumstances and all the things she had been through in the short while, it felt like it had been _months_. Letting herself to be drowned in the warm feeling of being home again, she brifely told the story behind her 'kidnapping' without mentioning any part that involved Ray. She wasn't sure what would their reaction be if they learned that their former leader was alive, and worse, was in the ranks of the Black Cloaks.

By the time she had finished, everyone was grim, and that also included Hibari who had been listening intently while relying the message to Tsubaki and Dr. Paylor. "I can't still quite grasp it," mused Karrel aloud, one hand moving to his chin as he pondered. "If their aim is the same as ours, then why did they not contact us sooner? Why did they choose such a violent method to steal our data if they have what it takes to make Fenrir agree to cooperate?"

Shun gave an irritated snort. "I don't believe a word they said! Not after witnessing how they could just slaughter people like mere animals!"

"But don't you think they're being too pushy on this?" asked Anette.

"I'm not sure that this is all about it," said Karrel. "There must be something else behing all this. Or they wouldn't have gone as far as to kill those who are opposing them."

Before Alisa could react, a beeping sound interrupted their dicussion. Hibari spoke through the intercom and nodded twice before looking up to the Gods Eaters before her. "Your presence is requested," she said to Alisa. "Please go to the Director's office immediately."

Her stomach wrenched. Alisa closed her eyes and kept them closed until some seconds later, when she'd gotten rid of the uneasyness within her. Nodding to her comrades, she went into the elevator. It only took minutes for her to stand before the door leading to Sakaki's office. She could hear murmurs and muted chatters from the other side of the door, and with one breath, she entered.

"Welcome back," the Director said to her. Sakaki was sitting behind a large table at one end of the room. Tsubaki and two senior officers were with him. "You sure are full of surprises, Alisa," he said, "coming home after having been considered MIA with a 'present' like this."

She stayed silent.

"Have you checked the content of the disk?" asked Tsubaki as she peered over the papers in her hand.

"No." And that was a the truth. Although they had informed her of their reason to contact Fenrir, the people in the lab had made sure that _she_ knew nothing of the details recorded in the disk. "They only told me about a theory they've developed to counter the Aragami rapid evolution."

Tsubaki spoke again. "And I guess that they have taken such precaution in keeping you that you know almost nothing of them?"

"Only at a minimum level do I know of their technology and location," Alisa replied. And the knowledge had come not from them, but through her Resonance with Ray.

"I see that you have questions," said the raven haired woman curtly.

"I do." She closed her eyes momentarily, trying to recall every bit of information she had absorbed from the Resonance. "Who are they? These ex-researchers of Fenrir... They are not total strangers to you, are they?"

The two officers present went stiff in their seats, she noticed, and she knew that her guess had been right. One of them, a middle-aged man with a short gray hair, cleared his throat. "They were, once, scientists under Fenrir who were in charge of the bias factor development," he said. "I, too, was a part of the group." He paused to eye Dr. Sakaki, as if asking whether he should continue speaking or not.

The doctor sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "It's fine, Marcus. Please continue. We owe the lady—and the whole Den—some explanation after what've happened."

The one who was addressed Marcus breathed deeply, his gaze losing his focus as it travelled into distant places in the past. "It was years ago when Fenrir took a radical step to study the cells of the Aragami. We were practically trying to study and use the Oracle Cells to ensure that humans would not perish under Aragami's threat, so far as to 'create' a special force to combat them: you. Gods Eaters. The Bias Factor that is currently being injected to you has also undergone many changes throughout projects and experiments so it would be compatible with the human body."

P53 Bias Factor was the substance that made it possible for humans to become Gods Eaters, and therefore, earning control of the God Arc and extend physical abilities. Several strains of Bias Factor suitable for human injection had been discovered and put into use in these past ten years. Without them, Gods Eaters were nothing but ordinary people. That was basic knowledge.

"Not everything has gone smoothly, however," he continued. "There were... errors. Errors that have caused us some casualties; errors that have caused diversion among us."

"_Has it occured to you how many times they had experimented in the past in order to create Gods Eaters—how many lives had been sacrificed?" _she remembered Ray was saying when the two had met in Aegis' underground chamber. So it was true, then, that before they came into existence, there had been countless of lives 'sacrificed' in order to establish the ground for the present Gods Eaters... She felt nauseated at the thought.

"We had an argument on how we would continue the development of the Bias Factor. We agreed to continue the research to achieve a higher synchronization rate with human beings, but still, our ways of thinking differ."

"And that was what made these researchers 'resign' from Fenrir?" Alisa asked.

"Yes." The former scientist shook his head before leaning back in his chair, looking tired and old. "I'd never thought they were going to continue with their research, though. We'd thought that reaching a higher Oracle Cells synchronization rate was an impossible thing to achieve—with the current technology and knowledge at that time, of course."

That had been when a certain research left by two Russians came into use. That was the fact, and she'd accepted it as it was, but still—knowing that she, or rather, her parents had contributed in Ray's suffering had instilled a lingering feeling of bitterness she couldn't shove away.

A heavy silence filled in the room when Marcus had ended his story, prompting Dr. Sakaki to sigh eventually. He took off his glasses and stood up, pacing slowly toward a monitor showing the night view outside. He clasped his hands behind his back. "I see no point in further discussions about all the things in the past. We will call up a meeting with the others tomorrow morning."

"I agree," said Tsubaki, also rising up from her seat. "Alisa, I believe that you were not sent on a journey back home without some measure of protection?"

"They sent two men to escort me."

The other officer who was sitting beside Marcus on the sofa made a grunt. "Don't tell me they're the ones who have infiltrated our branch."

Tsubaki ignored the man, her eyes searching Alisa's face. "And these men are around at the moment?"

"Yes," she affirmed. "They're waiting for Fenrir's response outside of the Wall."

After exchanging glances with the officers in the room, Sakaki nodded and said, "We would like to meet them."

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14 – 09 – 2075 / 07:58:13

The message encrypted in the small disk was simple: it asked Fenrir to 'lend' a hand to the Black Cloak's cause in their project to control the evolution and migration of the Aragami. How? Even simpler: by supplying them with the Bias Factor and harvested cores. Their method to achieve such a grand plan was not explained, though, and that was what led the Director to summon their envoys.

In the Meeting Room, the Japanese scientist was sitting on the tallest chair in the semi-circle table; beside him was Tsubaki; some other officers were present as well, and at the far end of one side, there sat a familiar blond man whom Alisa remembered as the leader of a special unit called BLOOD. The only active Gods Eater of the branch who was present was Lindow, and judging from the dark expression he wore, she guessed that he'd already been involved in this. Not every officer in the Den was there, however, and one of a few explanations that came into her mind was that only a selected group of people should know about the case. At least for the time being.

Alisa sat at the left end of the semi-circle, her eyes looking at the heads around her with a drumming heart. She had delivered the full account of the kidnapping minus the private parts brought by the Resonance. No one had given any outward reactions when she'd been talking, but their faces had given away their disturbed thoughts at the turn of events. After all, who would have thought that the very technology that had made the name of Fenrir known throughout the world had been stolen—and developed beyond what had been thought possible—by a third party who didn't even have a name.

A voice that rang through the intercom filled in the silence afterwards, saying that their 'guests' had arrived. "Let them in," said the Director, and the metal door slid open—letting two figures clad in black long coats to enter.

Every eye in the room turned toward them. Varying reactions could be seen on their faces when they recognized a certain face that was all too familiar. Some of the officers went stiff on their seats; while others who had not met Ray in person simply threw a curious glance at the blond. Alisa shifted in her seat and glanced sidelong at Ray, becoming more and more uncomfortable at the assessing gaze the people were giving him.

Ray, on the other hand, seemed unaffected by it all. The former Gods Eater simply stood silently beside Larg; a pair of dark red eyes scanning the room briefly without particular interest; his face a placid mask.

His gigantic companion made a grunting noise at the stiffness in the air. "Some welcome, this is," he said, one eyebrow raised at Ray.

He said nothing.

"You're aware," said Dr. Sakaki in a low voice, "that you have bared your fangs against us by your late actions, aren't you?"

"We do," said Larg, his voice deep and rumbling. "Though we can't say that you haven't done the same to us."

"But we don't request such an absurd 'alliance' afterwards," replied the Doctor as he folded his hands on the table. He was speaking very slowly, as if threatening. It was not a good sign. Alisa had noted that whenever the doctor spoke like that, impossible missions usually came afterwards. "You want us to supply you with our Bias Factor and cores to test a hypothesis that does not even based on a solid ground. What do you expect us to do?"

"The hypothesis of Aragami Mutation may be a bit baseless, but can you say that what you're doing now is right? Exterminating the Aragami left and right is chivalrious, eh?"

"We don't exterminate them as we please, either," put in an officer. "They are this planet's source of oxygen. Even a child knows that."

"We calculate every move we make, to put it simply," the Doctor chimed in, "of course, while studying the ever evolving species."

Larg snorted a laugh. "Yes, yes, we know you are calculating every move you make, but the point is: such calculation does not hit the mark. For example, what do you know about their evolution? I assure you that you can walk out of your den and find a new species evolving in a corner everyday. What theory do you have regarding the matter, then? That they're simply adapting to the environment?"

It was clear from that point on who would get the upper hand in the debate. Alisa had never guessed that the big man was such a skilled negotiator. He replied each statement with a hint of sarcasm while pointing out loud something they didn't have the knowledge of, countering each rebuttal with simple explanations by summing up the facts and theories all at once.

He was claiming that the ex-researchers had a theory—though yet to be proven true—of a certain root that was planted somewhere in the earth that caused the Aragami to evolve in such a pace. Alisa had a feeling that it was somehow connected to the late Director's plan and what Shio had done to 'save' the planet. Though where the connection was, she couldn't point out.

"So," said Tsubaki after Larg had explained their cause and goal, "you want us to dispatch our Gods Eaters on specified regions to prove that your theory of this... root of their rapid evolution is true?"

"Basically yes. Though you won't be doing anything flashy since it'd be our task to do so. We are, after all, a more flexible party than you are."

Almost all of the officers in the room looked at one another with uncertainties clearly mingled in their eyes. Their faces were voicing one question that everyone seemed to be thinking.

Finally, the Doctor spoke. "How do we know that we can trust you? And how do you plan on proving that, at least, one tenth of what you've been saying, is true?"

"We'll give you two days," said the giant. "One day to let you find the proof in our cells, one day to think whether we are serious or not." He flashed an appaling smile. "Though if we found out that you are trying to do anything to us while doing so, I can't guarantee that _all_ of our agreements would be in effect." Larg stared into the eyes of the officers in front of him. They dropped their gaze first. "We don't like being put under magnifiers as much as you don't like threats."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes as he fixed their guests a cold glare. He seemed to be thoughtful for a moment, and Alisa wondered if he would reject it, but then he nodded and said, "Very well. We shall put it into consideration for now. I assume you can wait until noon?"

"Fine by us."

Tsubaki clicked on the intercom at the table and said, "We shall inform you when we're done. For the time being, we'd appreciate if you stay low and accept a... room we've prepared." She looked at the director and gained his approval with a slight nod. "It wouldn't be the most convinient room, but we can't expect the people residing in the branch to understand the situation in just a matter of hours..."

"We're not asking for a suite either," said Larg. A sardonic smile was curling up on his lips.

Then Ray spoke, for the first time eversince he'd arrived at the meeting. His voice was low, calm, and even. "I suggest that you put us in a dungeon until tomorrow. It'd be better for us and the people that way."

Alisa could see his point. The safest place for them to stay in the branch was the dungeon: where every curious—or even worse, vengeful—soul in the Den would not be able to gain free access. Their infiltration had left stains of blood, and blood had a voice on their own.

"It seems to be the best option we currently have," said Dr. Sakaki. "Then, the dungeon it is."

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_**A/N : **__The politic intriacy is very apparent in this chapter since it _is_ a fanfictional bridge to GE2. The materials I used in this chapter is from the 2nd Break Official Manga and GE2 leaks. Next chapter shall feature Erina (finally), as well as returning casts of GEB._

_**30th November 2012 : **__I would like to express my gratitude to all my Reviewes who have supported me this far, and to all my Viewers who have bothered to read this work. Thank you, guys! I'd be nothing without you all!_


	18. Chapter 14: Discarded Feelings

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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**Chapter 14**

**Discarded Feelings**

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14 – 09 – 2075 / 09:52:02

"This way," said a nervous armed guard as he beckoned for the two men in black to follow him.

Ray and Larg spun around and made their way out of the Meeting Room. The guards assigned to escort them led a way through the hallway that would bring them to the elevator at the far back of the floor. Instructed to get the two guests into the dungeon safely, the armed men quickly formed a circle around the dark coated figures as they moved, protecting them from curious eyes. Whispers and chatters were audible from the people around them, and Ray realized that almost every eye was falling upon him as they walked by.

"What is the meaning of this?" he could hear some of the people whispering to each other.

"Why are they being permitted to get inside?"

"Don't you think that one shares a close resemblance to the late 1st Unit Leader?"

Ray hid an irritated scowl. Had Fenrir still clung to their secrets? If so, then it was not going to be long before the people in the Den questioned their doings behind the curtain of a seemingly non-profit organization. No lies or cover-ups stayed for a long time. Especially in a dying world like this.

Before they managed to reach a forked road at the end of the hallway, a commotion broke up behind them. Ray turned to see a young man dressed in gray suit of a mechanic yelling frantically at them while battling his way through the guards.

"How dare they show their faces here!" he hollered, his voice rising above all the murmurs and low voices in the hallway. The young man, despite being held by two of the guards, was throwing his fists furiously at Ray and Larg. "Let me go, damnit! I'll kill them!"

Some of the Gods Eaters in the area had stepped forward and tried to restrain the rampaging meghanic. But the more he was being told to calm down, the angrier he got. Larg, who was watching the man's struggle with a slight hint of amusement in his eyes, turned to face Ray and shrugged. "So this is the toll of becoming popular, huh? What's his business anyway?"

"My business, huh!" the mechanic spat. He seemed to have heard what the gigantic man had said, and it had done nothing but enraging him more. "You guys _killed _my brother—which makes it _my _business to see that you're dead!"

It was then that Ray noticed that tears were streaming down his cheeks. Was this man's brother among the ranks of Fenrir's researchers Cain had killed during their infiltration days ago? Or was he one of the guards Ray and the others had slained in order to get out of the Den? He couldn't possibly know. And even if he had known, it wouldn't have prevented him and his comrades from slaining the unfortunate man.

The mechanic turned to the people behind him and yelled, "And it was not only my brother that they've killed!"

Everything turned into chaos in that very moment.

Some of the people began shouting and raising their fists to the air. The word 'Murderers' was being chanted with such venom that it quickly intoxicated the ones who, some minutes ago, had only been bystanders of the little event.

"They have no right to be here!" someone was shouting. And it was soon followed by a chorused yells of agreement. They were beginning to push their way through the armed guards. They were all shouting and screaming their resentment; an angry mob.

It took all of the guards who were present to prevent the mob from laying a hand onto the two. More guards were coming to reinforce the line of defense.

"Move!"

A familiar voice called out through the voices.

"'The hell are you doing? Move!" Kota grimly said as he made his way to the two idle figures standing behind the line of guards. The people who were blocking his path a moment ago quickly moved to make a way for him when they recognized the white uniform that signified his Unit.

Ray and Larg did as they were told—though by the looks on his face, Ray could tell that his gigantic companion was rather dissapointed when they had to leave the crowd behind. Larg had a very odd—if not way too sarcastic—taste regarding what should be considered as an enjoyment.

Being led by the Gunner, they walked to the elevator at the far end of the hall. Once the metal door clanged shut, Kota scanned the duo before him. A deep crease was visible between his eyebrows when his eyes lingered on Ray. "You've changed."

It was not a question. Ray lifted one shoulder to dimsiss the remark. "Nice observation."

Beside him, Larg started laughing, oblivious to the glare Kota was giving him. "What were you like, I wonder," he said while eyeing his companion with glee. "Is the one who used to change your diapers live here too? I'm eager to see the album recording your growth."

"You stay out of this," spat Kota coldly.

Larg took a step back in mockery and leaned against the metal bars. "Scary."

"Just ignore him," said Ray to Kota, keeping his tone light. "He'll die of boredom eventually."

Larg grinned. "Oh, you know it takes more than silence to kill me."

Kota, who was observing the bantering between the two, pursed his lips into a depressed thin line. "You two are mocking me, aren't you?"

"Didn't mean to," replied Larg as he feigned an apologetic look. "Some people are just _begging_ to be teased." He nudged Ray. "Right, Max?"

Knowing that answering to Larg would irritate Kota, he said, "I'm trying to keep a low profile here, thank you. You can try the labs, though. They're full of bored old men."

"Hmm... Some fireworks might do them some good." Larg raised his eyebrows at Kota. "Do you love fireworks, boy? Have seen one?"

Kota's eyes were blazing, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. Ray hid a smile.

The elevator shook a bit when it had finally arrived on the lowest level, producing a 'Ding' sound when it stopped. The trio walked into the poorly lighted area, empty rooms and cells were lined up across the narrow hallway. Electric lanterns hanging on both sides of the wall, giving the room an eerie atmosphere by their reluctance to brightly glow. Kota stopped before a metal door leading to the deepert part of the dungeon. He eyed Ray openly.

Realizing the tension in the air between the two, Larg grunted. "I'll leave you two for a chit-chat, then," said he as he pushed open the heavy door. "Be nice, kids." He soon dissapeared behind it.

Kota's eyes were still staring absently at the closed door when he spoke. "I should be saying 'welcome home' to you, huh..."

Ray folded his arms and waited, maintaining a blank face.

He turned to face him, his eyes narrowed as he met his gaze. "Part of me was glad when I've found out that you were alive. But. It doesn't mean that I'd forgive you for what you've done."

"I don't need your forgiveness, either."

"Why did you have to kill them?" he asked in a low voice. Judging from the strained lines in his tight face, Ray knew his former comrade was trying his best to stay composed. "You, out of everyone... Why did you do that?"

"If I told you my reason, would you be satisfied? Are the lives of your so-called 'comrades' that cheap for you?"

The Gods Eater grabbed his collar, his teeth were gritted as he spat, "Like hell—! Say that again and I'll—"

"You'll what?" he cut him off. "Kill me?"

Kota looked grave for a moment, but then he released his grip and heaved a long sigh; his fists were clenched tightly at his sides, as if restraining themselves from making a hole in the nearest wall. "What has gotten into you?" he murmured. "Alisa refused to tell me of the details of what's happened, so I could only guess." Kota looked up and held his gaze evenly. "Tell me of one thing, though: what are you going to do from now on?"

Ray gave away a wry smile at his words, slightly amused by the look on his face. Kota had always been so blunt in his thoughts and words, and it seemed that some old traits hadn't changed.

He eased himself into a more comfortable position, knowing full well that it wouldn't do well in pleasing the Gods Eater. "I don't know," he answered. "Siding with whoever's got the best deal, maybe? They're feeding me well, I should say," he said as he made a gesture to the direction where Larg had gone some minutes ago.

His taunt seemed to be working well as Kota's face was contorted in anger and hurt.

This was a game he'd used to play after he'd found out the truth behind his resurrection. The rules were simple: mock, taunt, hook with open sarcasm, and keep your words curt and simple to leave no room for discussion. Larg and several other lab rats had been the ones to teach him that. And It had proven itself to be a useful weapon to be used against people of the past.

"I'm trying to be a useful pet since my cheap life is not in my hands at the moment," he added.

"By going as far as to kill the ones you once called comrades?"

Ray held out his right hand, waving it to expose the plain armband where the red armlet had been. "_Former_, yes. As you can see, I'm not bound to Fenrir anymore."

Kota looked thoughtful for a moment, then he cleared his throat. By the looks of it, the gesture was more like an attempt to control his emotions... "If your masters ordered you to wipe us out," he carefully said, "what would you do then? Would you willingly obey like a good dog?"

"Who knows... Maybe I'd do it if they threatened to cut off my ransom."

"Be serious, Ray."

"Why do I get told that a lot, I wonder." He paused to snort a laugh at Kota's frustated expression, which was rare, considering the cheerful front people had associated the Japanese with. "Look, it's futile to discuss about this. Don't you have more important things to do rather than chatting to a dead man?"

"You've become a ridiculous plaything of those crazy scientists."

"I guess I have," Ray said. "Just like the old me when I'd been fed by Fenrir."

Kota was about to open his mouth to respond when the elevator's door slid open, revealing a small figure of a green-haired girl clad in a brown vest. She had this aura of dignity and pride around her that was apparent in the way she moved.

The girl strode carefully to Kota's side, with her eyes curiously assessing Ray from head to toe. "So this is the renowned Black Cloaks," she said.

"Go back upstairs, Erina," said Kota without looking at her.

The girl who was called Erina threw him an irritated look, but then turned her attention back at Ray again, blinking. "Have I... met you before?" she asked.

Ray took notice of the armlet on her wrist while recalling past events, searching for any memory of the short, yet confident figure whose eyes were scanning him. "You're Erina? Eric's sister?"

The girl tauted her brow as she put a hand on her hip. "It's not nice to return questions with questions."

Yes. This was definitely her, then. Ray remembered that Eric and his sister came from a walthy family which fashioned elegance and pride as much as love and money. As annoying as Eric's attitude had been during their times as comrades in arms, it was rather a pitiful tale when one had to remember how the red-haired Gods Eater had been killed in action. And further, her attitude reminded him a lot of a certain someone...

Ray raised one eyebrow in reply. "Maybe we have. Maybe we haven't."

"Hah. What an odd guy you are. And, oh, Kota," she turned at the idle Kota beside her, "I came to grab you. All Gods Eaters on duty are being summoned to the Meeting Hall."

Kota, finally out of his reverie, looked back at Erina, then at Ray. He seemed to be measuring his choice carefully, but when Erina folded her arms in a demanding manner, he finally gave up. "Fine. I'll go."

"You'd better do because I'll be the one responsible if you don't, _Senior_." She held up a finger. "No slacking off today, you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you." He lifted his gaze to meet Ray's before he went after Erina who was already making her way to the elevator. For a moment, they just stood there silently. In a mere whisper, Kota slowly said, "You've really changed, Ray. You're not the same person as you were." Then he walked off.

Ray watched wordlessly as the two Gods Eaters got into the elevator. When they had finally dissapeared from view, he took a deep breath and made his way to the bunk behind the metal door. He stopped before the door, shutting his eyes while wrestling uncomfortable feelings that had begun to rise up from the talk.

He felt nauseated by the stirred up emotions, as if there were something in his throat that prevented him from swallowing. That was not a pleasant sensation. Dealing with Alisa was already hard enough... And now he got to deal with the whole Den? This world must be really wishing for him to go nuts.

He opened his eyes and saw a refelction of his own face on the shiny surface of the metal plank. Looking straight back at him was a pair of dark red eyes that looked almost predatory under the intense feeling of anger and frustation. Those were the only feelings that had kept him sane so far.

His former best friend had been right: he was not the person whom he had used to be. Not anymore.

And that was the truth. The truth he'd grown to accept when he had chosen to get rid of all the broken remnants of his old self. Emotions were signs of weakness, a part of his mind reminded him. They were like cancer that would eat one's heart and mind away if not shot frozen.

_And you've made your choice._

The quiet voice in his mind pulsed around him like a second heartbeat, and those words were ringing again and again, as if echoing, until he shut it down with force.

Ray opened the metal door and walked into the darkness. Now this was familiar, he thought as he let emptyness crept into his mind. The silence and blackness were the only things he could call soothing companions back when he'd been chained in the darker parts of the lab. Then, without giving a second thought to the bitterness that flooded his heart, he broke into a run.

Using the bars and platforms piled up above the cells, Ray leapt up, scaling his way to a higher ground using the duct, moving quickly from one pipe to another. Everything had gone as those whitecoats had planned.

Now, where was Larg? Had he found the the tunnel leading to the wing—where Fenrir's lab was? Most definitely, judging from the time he'd given him to do so.

He equipped a headset and it buzzed with statics when he increased its volume. He stopped moving for some seconds, crouching still with one knee bent, trying to listen intently.

"—ing. ...Consp—I'm against—ust them."

He adjusted the frequency once again, hoping for a better quality of sound. It took several seconds until he got what he wanted.

A voice, recognizeable this time, spoke again. "Then what do you suggest?" It was Lindow Amamiya's.

"We begin the inspection ASAP. Don't let them lurk around and tighten the defences." The deep, masculine voice and slow rythm of speech... The second voice seemed to belong to Soma. "There's no telling what they've got under their sleeve."

"The area around the dungeon has been guarded," said Lindow. "Let's hope that we can trust their word. For now, at least."

At that, Ray removed his headset and reached for an earpiece instead. He craned his neck upwards and tried to concentrate; listening to any sounds, trying to grasp _anything_ from the looming darkness.

_One, _he thought as his sensitive ears caught a faint sound of boots hitting metal. _Two, three... _Seven, he decided. There were seven guards assigned at the level above the dungeon, three of them were heavily armed—Gods Eaters, possibly.

The gun he had brought along with him had been confiscated by the guards when they'd entered the fortress. But no matter: he could just take one from the patrols above. Making his way up, he clicked on the earpiece.

"It's me," he said through his intercom, aware of just how many ears were waiting for him at the line. Waiting for him to commence the operation. "Phase 2 is completed. I'm going up. Number two and three are allowed to move."

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14 – 09 – 2075 / 11:48:31

"Number two and three are allowed to move."

The young woman holding up the line clicked on her intercom at that. She spun around and gave a nod to her companion, who was busy loading his Spear-type God Arc with flare bullets. "It's time?" he asked.

"Yes." She held up her God Arc and tested its balance, changing it from its close combat type into a sniping mode. The helicopter they were in was moving down, and she could feel the instability as they neared the ground. "Time to go. Don't get too hyped up, Cain."

Cain rolled his eyes as he muttered 'Whatever' under his breath. Karen peered over the window and scanned the area below. They were going to land on an abandoned site near the wasteland at the far north of the sector. The sun was hidden by gray clouds that were hanging low at the sky; its rays of light shone only at the minimum length through the layers of white and gray.

Deciding that they were already close enough to the ground, she signaled for Cain to leap off first. The young man pushed a button to open the door, and he dived in as soon as the gust of wind pierced into the helicopter. Karen quickly followed.

Running at full speed, the two made their way to the Far East Branch. "Do you think they've already noticed this?" she asked without decreasing her speed.

"Even if they have, I'm sure they're not a match for _us._"

"I guess not." Especially with provided backups they were going to have in the following ten minutes. The whitecoats had never been very lenient on dispatching their speciments, so when they did, the mission was undoubtedly important. "But still, one mistake can ruin it all."

The chesnut-haired man grinned, his eyes glittering under the gloom. "I've been itching for this. I won't ruin it." At Karen's doubtful face, his grin broadened. "Pinky promise?"

Karen shot one last glare at her companion before they separated their ways. They'd neared Anti-Aragami Wall. Cain's task would be simple: draw the beasts lurking about in the area to one side of the Wall while _she_ would make a distraction by feigning an attack on the branch. It should buy enough time for two of their members who had been stationed inside. They were to get their hands on the remaining cores and Fenrir's mother computer that was connected to Aegis. And before Fenrir knew what had struck them, backups would arrive, adding more spice to the chaos.

Karen scaled the Wall easily using its hard, uneven textured exterior; her God Arc swaying loosely at her side as she moved past some guards on duty—leaving none of them alive. No alarm had been raised, though, since she had taken care not to give those guards a chance to alert other souls of her presence. The flashy action should take place _inside _the Wall, not outside of it where she was too far from her comrades. It was Cain's job to do it anyway.

Moving with a grace and speed of a wolf, she hoisted herself onto the highest point of the Wall and leapt over it, shooting down some lenses of suveillance cameras attached to the side when gravity pulled her down. She landed lightly and quickly moved to cover herself behind a set of piled metal junks.

She waited for a moment, calculating her moves as well as making mental notes of her surroundings. No witnesses so far. No incoming guards or raised alarms.

No mistakes.

She got up to her feet, readying her God Arc while her eyes were assessing the empty part of the sector. Five minutes. That was all she needed to get into the Den, she decided after measuring the distance to the towering fortress some miles from where she was. She clicked on her intercom.

"Number two: Commencing operation. Entering the Den."

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_**A/N : **__Another Arc. _

_Actually, I'd planned for this chapter to star Kota as the lead character, as I'd been wanting to potray how he has grown in the time skip. But I changed my mind after deciding that I should speed the story/plot up in order to make the next chapter a prelude to another climax._

_**11th December 2012 : **__As usual, thanks a million for reading and reviewing this story! I can't believe my Views rate (considering that GEB is rather small compared to other fandoms in which I've written). Thanks, guys! I love you all!_


	19. Chapter 15: Unspoken Words

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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**Chapter 15**

**Unspoken Words**

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14 – 09 – 2075 / 12:10:08

Betrayal.

That was the first word that rang in her head when she heard the alarm resounding through the Den.

Alisa and every Gods Eater in the area were currently making their way to the garage to get their God Arcs when Hibari's voice echoed through the hallway. "Repeat. All defense units on standby are to intercept the attack at the main gate. The Third Unit is to go and defend the Wall."

"I should've known that this kind of thing would happen!" spat one of her colleagues, Tatsumi, when they'd arrived at storage area. He swung his God Arc to test its balance and then jogged to the exit, following his teammates who had already scrambled into the elevators. But before he got in, the chesnut haired Gods Eater turned around and said, "Stop them at all costs. We're counting on you," to Alisa and Kota.

Grimly, they nodded.

It was her unit's job to search for their guests; Larg and Ray, who had gone missing from the dungeon the minute their escort had left them. Deep down, she knew this was going to happen. There was no logical reason to trust those ex-researchers, given what they'd done and sacrificed to reach whatever goal they had in mind. But still, it didn't ease the aching in her chest when she knew that Ray, once again, chose to point his gun at Fenrir.

And at her.

"Let's go," she said as she loaded her assault gun with bullets.

Kota was uncharacteristically silent throughout the moment of preparation he didn't even reply when she'd addressed him. The thought of Ray standing against them for the third time must also be painful for the gunner as much as it was for her. The two had been closer than mere colleagues, almost like brothers. She remembered when they had learned of Ray's death a year ago: how the ever smiling Kota had retreated into his room for days, how he'd stared absently over the elevators as if expecting his dead friend to come out of nowhere—

_No_. She had no time to muse over the past for now. There were lives to protect and a stronghold to defend; she could not lose her ground now and let those madmen do whatever they wanted for the third time.

Steeling her heart, Alisa broke into a run, her other hand clicking on the intercom. "Hibari, do you read me?"

"Yes," the operator replied two seconds after. "I haven't been able to track the two, but it seems like one of them has broken past our security in the fifth sector. Soma and Frederico's team are heading there as we speak."

Alisa's heart was beating louder. Where was Ray? Was he the one who had made it to the fifth sector? Or was it Larg? What was their aim now?

Turning sharply to her left, she dragged Kota along with her and headed straight to the lower ground.

"Where do you think you're—"

"The main lab," she cut him off, making care not to decrease her speed. "Whatever their plan is, they can't go on without our bias factor supply."

Hibari asked, "You plan on ambushing them?"

"If they're not already there."

It took less than three minutes for them to reach the main lab, which was lightly guarded by a dozen of armed guards. Upon realizing that none of the two intruders had come to the place, Alisa relaxed a bit—for she should not see corpses laying bloodied on the ground like when they'd been late to defend Aegis.

Before they could ask for reinfocements to tighten the defenses around the area, a shrieking sound of piercing bullets cutting through the wind alerted them. The barrage was coming from another hallway that connected the lab to the fourth sector.

Alisa deployed her shield, while Kota was shouting commands to the guards to only act on their orders. As soon as the rain of bullets ceased, Kota assumed his battle stance and fired back. Alisa sprung forward to engage the large figure at the end of the hallway.

Shielded by his massive God Arc, Larg took a leap back while changing his weapon into close-combat mode, a coy smile was playing across his face. Alisa slashed at him as soon as he was within her range of long blade. He spun around and hit the ground hard with his hammer before she could land a hit on him, a move that forced Alisa to halt her attack and leap back.

"Nice reflexes," he said.

"You too."

Again, she dashed at him with her God Arc raised. Larg was definitely slower compared to Ray, but she knew that one wrong move could result in fatal injury since his hammer-like God Arc seemed to be designed for a one-hit-kill. Alisa wasn't even sure that her shield would be able to defend her well in a close combat against an opponent equipped with such a destructor. There was no other choice rather than to rely on sharpness, agility and deception, then.

Larg brought his hammer up to engage her attack. As quick as her oracle-infused body could react, Alisa ducked low and made a wide swing at his feet—inches below his God Arc that was aimed at her head. She could feel the tip of her blade made a contact with the flesh beneath the rough material of his clothing. A surprised grunt came from the giant, followed by a bashing of the hammer. It was so close to where she had been a split second ago that had she not moved back and deployed her shield on instinct, it would have already crushed her skull. When he made a move again, it felt as if a Kongou had fallen on her shield.

Sent flying backwards by the impact of the crushing force, Alisa attempted to roll back in the air to regain her balance so she wouldn't be defenseless when she hit the ground. Larg was about to charge at her when Kota began firing. He was shouting for the guards to follow his action. Forced to defend against the incoming missiles, the giant slammed his God Arc to the ground, creating a planted tower shield that stood between him and his opponents.

Alisa dashed again, keeping her head low to ensure that her next attack would come as a surprise. But a sound of a gun being fired forced her to roll to one side. Behind the tower shield, Larg was aiming a handgun at them with his left hand. He shot rapidly at Alisa.

Ducking while thrusting her shield upward, she continued to run forward. Stopping in the middle of her tracks would only be granting her opponent another chance to jump at her.

Pained cries were audible now, and it was then that she realized that the gunshots had not been aimed at her, but at her supporting comrades. It was the same trick Ray had used when they'd first encountered each other for the first time after his death.

Managing to raise his God Arc just in time to block the missiles, Kota scrambled to his feet and ran forward. He screamed, "Move!"

Alisa jerked back with her shield still opened, knowing full well what her comrade was about to do. In a mere second, the hallway was illuminated in bright yellowish light. The sound of the stun grenade exploding in the closed area rang through the place, deafening Alisa for a split moment before she regained her sight. She thrusted her blade at the kneeling man.

Inches before the steel could gnaw at Larg, two gunshots prevented the attack and drove Alisa back yet again. It came from the elevator behind the giant.

"Ray," she whispered.

The former Gods Eater walked over to stand between Larg and the two, a similar handgun like the one Larg was holding was aimed straight at them. Alisa felt her heart sank at the sight of the gun. He'd chosen his side, then...

"You!" Kota spat bitterly. "Why are you—?"

Alisa cut him off by holding out one hand. Ignoring her aching heart, she tried her best to hold her weapon in battle stance, her face a facade of determination that she knew didn't even exist within her.

Ray assessed the two, his expression as blank as a wall, his dark red eyes moving slowly from her adversaries to the man behind him. "Getting old, big man?"

Larg snorted. He stood up and pulled out his half-burried God Arc from the floor, spitting blood as he loaded the weapon. "Nice of you to drop by," he said. "I'll treat you a sundae once everything's over."

"Bribery is a dirty tactic," Ray replied with a tiny smile. His eyes, cold and sharp, were not leaving Alisa's. "Though it doesn't sound so bad."

The situation was not in their favour at all. Ray being here while Soma and the others were not would only mean that someone else must be preoccupying them. Or was she just trying to convince herself that they hadn't been slaughtered by _him_?

A sound of explosion could be heard from the ground above them. A second one soon followed, shaking the hallway for a brief moment.

Kota pointed his gun at Ray, snarling. "What the hell do you guys seek?"

"What we seek," said a voice coming from behind their backs, "is peace."

By the time that Alisa and Kota turned around to see the newcomer, two gunshots had already been released. A sharp pain seized her. Only a second later did she recognize that the bullet had nested itself in her right arm. Kota fell first, snarling and cursing before the sedatives took the best of him. Alisa planted her fists to the ground as she fell on her knees.

Fighting the none-so-new dizzying sensation that was beginning to creep into her mind, she looked up to see the person who had just emerged _from _the laboratory. Clad in Fenrir's plain white coat, there stood a man in mid-forty by looks. Beside him were two men with guns and God Arcs. No armlets were on their wrists.

"I see that New-Type Gods Eaters have higher resistance to drugs," said the man. His voice was oddly familiar to Alisa. She swore she had heard it somewhere before, but she couldn't recall where and when—especially with her mind enshrouded with thick fog like this. "I never thought I would encounter you again, _messenger_."

Realization hit her at the mention of the title. The sweet, melodramatic style of speech... Smooth intonation colored by amusement and dignity... It was _him_: The bearer of the voice who had spoken with her in the dark room; The voice who had negotiated with her. The voice who had deceived her.

"How did you—"

"Get inside? I have always been inside." At the puzzled expression that must have been reflected on her face, the man chortled. "Only when I'm needed in other places that I leave. Though I have some difficulties in sneaking off, since Fenrir is usually enslaving its staffs day and night. Don't you agree, messenger?"

Alisa shut her eyes, feeling weakened by each passing second. Nauseated as well. How many spies had the Black Cloaks planted in their ranks already? She couldn't bring herself to think of anything now. Not when the sickening feeling of whatever substance that had been infused in the bullet was running through her veins.

"Bring these two inside," the man ordered the idle figures who stood beside him. His voice sounded as if mufled in her ears. "Get the New Type to the bunk. She'll be more than enough."

Drained of all strength to keep her mind conscious and her limbs functioning, Alisa used all of what was left within her to turn and lift her head. To lock her eyes with Ray's.

He was standing, unmoving, in place, and she could see something flickered in his eyes. Something she would have described as doubts, or hesitation, even, if he hadn't kept his gun at level with her head.

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14 – 09 – 2075 / 12:44:21

To Ray, the blue eyes that were looking at him were naked to all emotions swirling underneath. There were hurt, as well as regret and sadness dangling in the orbs—all was visible for him to see. He knew the conflicted feeling she must be experiencing: the feeling of being left in the pit of hopelesness; the feeling of being betrayed.

They stayed still in the moment, as if frozen in time, with their gazes locked at one another. Then slowly, Alisa's eyes drifted; she fell onto the floor as she drew one heavy breath, then she closed her eyes—finally giving in to the sedatives.

Something cracked in him when he saw her fall. Yet, he was unable to set his mind to it, nor he was able to lower his hand or tell how exactly what was the feeling.

The two men who'd been standing still beside the white-coat moved to lift the unconscious Gods Eaters from the floor. The white-coat, who was observing the process with little interest, turned his attention at Ray. "Now, as for you..."

He waved a hand at Larg, who was standing still behind Ray. "Finish him off," he said as he spared the giant one last, lingering glance.

Turning to see his companion, Ray was almost surprised when he caught the sight of Larg breathless and all drenched in sweat. He'd been too preoccupied with Alisa that he'd failed to notice the state he was in until now. "You—"

Larg grinned. It seemed strained on his hardened face. It was as if moving a muscle was a labored effort. "I guess I _am _getting old."

The man and his underlings—with the unconscious Gods Eaters on their tow—were already retreating back into the lab. "You heard the order," the scientist said before the door slid shut behind him.

Ray eyed the giant carefully, noticing his ragged breath and slight tremor that was running all over his body. "When was the last time you 'ate'?"

"It doesn't matter." He shook his head as he rumbled a laugh. "I'm expiring anyway. Unlike you, the product of _Adeen..._ We're far more... disposable." Larg inhaled deeply. "But..."

Ray was almost caught off guard when Larg swung his God Arc at him. He managed to leap back in time, though, and the hammer hit the floor instead, gauging the steel open with a loud cracking sound.

"But... I'm not going to just sit down and be butchered either," he said. The sardonic smile was working its way back to his pale face. He swung the hammer and knelt on the floor. His body was visibly tensing up now, and when a growl escaped his lips, Ray knew that he was giving in to the cell transmutation. His voice, usually deep and rough, was now hoarse and crisp. "Sorry, Max. I'm only trying to keep an old promise to my daughter."

Readying his God Arc, Ray assumed his position. A rush of andrenaline surging through him. "And that is?"

Larg cocked his head, revealing blood red eyes that shone hungrily in the light, then lunged forward with a surprising speed. "To never go down without a fight!" he screamed as he bashed the hammer onto Ray.

Everyone who had been living in the underground lab where an ancient rule of the wild governed knew that cell transmutation would give one a whole new level of enhanced abillities. Increased speed and power, sharper senses and reflexes, and also unbearable thirst and hunger for flesh and blood fueled by the nature of the bias in their gene. Ray knew all of that. He'd experienced it more than twice, and had even dealt with those who had no longer had the sanity to talk.

But this... A mutating man with a sheer determination to survive, who was also equipped with a God Arc, was one he'd not anticipated to encounter.

Larg had moved so fast that Ray hadn't even had the time to block his attack with his shield. The hammer hit the steel of his blade instead of his head, and in all honesty, the desperate defensive stance did him no good at all. He was sent crashing to the wall the instant his blade met the massive bunk of steel, gasping blood and yelping out a sharp cry of pain.

Not stopping, Larg dashed forward. Ray quickly pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the pain that rattled his body, and quickly rolled aside to avoid another attack. He jumped over to Larg, raising his blade in mid-air, and managed to land a hit on his God Arc. But it was not even enough to stagger the giant back one step. With one fluid movement, Larg sent him flying again.

Ray adjusted himself before his back hit the wall and planted his feet to the metal surface instead, then, taking advantage of gravity, skidded away from Larg's hammer's range. Before Larg could jump back at him, Ray changed his God Arc into long distance mode and began to fire.

The rain of bullets seemed to distract him, and that was all he needed for now. Changing his weapon into blade mode once again, Ray pushed his battle instinct and boiling oracle cells into their highest pitch and lashed low at him, tipping the blade upward when it was close enough to slide below the hammer.

It cut deeply into the flesh on the larger man's shoulder. Larg let out a growl, and before he could swing him away like a plaything again, Ray jumped back and attempted to shoot at him with his handgun. A gunshot was released, but it wasn't his. A sharp pain went through Ray's right arm, knocking the God Arc off of his grip.

Eyes narrowed, teeth gritted, Ray watched Larg tossing his gun like a butcher in search for a better knife. The cut on the giant's shoulder was no more than a scratch now, an indicator that his body was healing a _lot _faster than it usually did.

"Playtime's over," he growled. His voice sounded unnatural and strained. He straightened, his eyes not leaving Ray's, not even for a second to inspect his wound. A grin was spreading over his face. "We are doomed, it seems."

"Indeed we are," Ray said without moving from where he stood. A slight movement would trigger a counter-reaction from Larg, and to make matters worse, he was without any useful weapons, spare for a gun. Ray strongly doubted that some gunshots would bring down this giant. His God Arc was several feet behind him. "Though it is strange to hear that coming from someone like you."

Larg rumbled a deep, growling sound. Maybe it was supposed to be a laugh, though it sounded far too broken to be one. "Believe me, all positive thoughts mean nothing in the face of death," he said. He lifted his wounded shoulder casually, the tightness in his muscles showed that he was trying to suppress the bias' demands for action and blood. "I do have some hopes, though."

"Of what?"

The end of his mouth curled into a ghost of a smile, revealing teeth that were sharper and longer than what was considered normal for a human being. "That maybe, somehow, I could revert back and see my daughter again. Or that I could take the lives of those bastards in white coats, at least."

"How optimistic," Ray remarked.

"None but some wishful thoughts." He paused for a moment before fixing Ray a serious look. "Max. If you survived this... Would you do me a favor?"

Ray eyed him carefully, growing alarmed by the tenderness in his tone. "Degrading into a pessimist in just mere seconds? That's very predictable of you, old man."

This time, Larg laughed. "We're talking of 'what ifs', kiddo," he said between his laughter. "Nothing in this rotten world is certain. We are victims to that fact."

When he shot him a tight-lipped smile again, Ray tauted his brow in question. "What do you want me to do?"

"Find my daughter." Larg was calm and sincere in his words, but the look in his eyes betrayed his longing and sadness. The line of his mouth, usually wry with sarcasm or tight with restlessness, was now softening. His breaths became ragged as he spoke slowly:

"My _Izree_. My only family. Find her. Protect her."

Ray lowered his gaze, unable to stare back into the eyes that were pleading to him. This was the Larg he hadn't known. This was the man whose life had been ruined. A father who merely wished for his child to be safe.

"Please."

Ray looked back at him. He didn't sound or look like he was joking or toying with him with his plea. The cool, determined red orbs ensured Ray of that.

Summoning every bit of will left burried within, he offered a stiff nod. "I will."

Larg flashed a smile. "Heh. Atta boy."

And with that, both lunged at each other.

Ray quickly dashed to his left, managing to shoot at him twice while avoiding the hammer. As he'd predicted, the bullets had almost no effect on Larg, whom he theorized should have been immune to pain by now. He rolled again to evade a blow, then gripped the object that was the nearest to his feet and lifted it up.

Alisa's long blade was now colored in deeper red when the tip of the enriched steel potruded from the back of Larg's gigantic body. Larg stiffened for a second, then he relaxed a bit as blood sluiced down Ray's hands and arms. Larg's God Arc fell to his side, his hands wavering, knees slumping. Ray dug the blade deeper, ignoring the searing pain on both of his hands that had begun to escalate upon touching the foreign Aragami cored weapon.

Larg choked, then coughed blood, his body falling like a dead weight which was only supported by the blade on his chest. "Thank you," he said in a tiny voice. He coughed again, and more blood spluttered. "Live on. Max."

Unsure of the last words that had come as soft as a whisper, Ray turned his head to face him. "Old man?"

Larg opened his mouth to form a reply, but his breathing stopped altogether at that very second.

He was dead.

Ray pulled out the blade slowly and grabbed Larg's collar before he fell. He laid his body carefully on the ground, burning the solemn and peaceful expression he'd never seen Larg wearing into his mind. Briefly Ray wondered what must have been in his last thought that had soothed the fierce warrior. The memory of his family, maybe? Of his home? He would never be able to guess, for the man had very rarely spoken of his origin and relatives, and so had every lab rat kept underground.

The burning sensation on Ray's hands knocked him off balance as well as slapping him off his wandering thoughts. The foreign core attached to the weapon was reacting harshly to his DNA. No matter how he tried to shook the God Arc off, it didn't budge. It was as if the black liquid that had started devouring his right hand contained some kind of a glue; and an acidic one at that.

Every Gods Eater knew that using other combatant's God Arc meant uncontrollable mutation if not instant death. He had been isolated for a week as a punishment for going against the rule once, and had also suffered partial mutation and almost faced death in his second try. What chances did he have for surviving another desperate attempt, he did not know.

The core was feeding on him. The black liquid was slowly giving shape into little maws as it spread over his hand, reaching up to his elbow. Ray knelt down, producing a dry, hoarse sound when his mind began to scream at the invasion of the foreign oracle cells. His senses began to blur, his head ached, his whole body throbbed with pain; dread washing his body cold.

When the little maws joined in and formed a larger one to devour his entire being, he closed his eyes.

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_**A/N - 21st December 2012 : **__This chapter would be the prelude to the Final Arc. It is, and will be Action-packed._

_I've been reading James Patterson and Cassandra Clare's books lately. They are all very talented writers-I feel little whenever I read their works. I hope I'd be able to become a skilled writer like them someday... Being a little wishful doesn't hurt, no?_

_And as usual, thank you very much for reading this fanfiction! I'm trying my best to reply to all of your Reviews via PM(s), but since I can't PM unsigned Reviewers, I'll just use A/N to say this: Thanks a bunch, guys! Reading all your supports and opinions've really enlightened me!_

_Now, as for Alisa x Protagonist lovers... Stay tuned! Next chapter will mark the climax of their relationship._


	20. Chapter 16: Carved Names

_**A/N - 31st December 2012 : **__I was pleasantly surprised by your eager reactions / reviews over the last chapter in anticipating the climax in Alisa and Ray's relationship. Now I hope this chapter shall satisfy you._

_Ah, before I forget: Happy New Year, guys! I thank you for all the support you've given me in this year! Love you guys so~ much! Now let us wait patiently for GE 2 to come, eh? (I guess I'll simply work on some sketches plus some novel scripts while watching Running Man until then...)_

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A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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**Chapter 16**

**Carved Names**

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14 – 09 – 2075 / ?:?:?

Ray opened his eyes to the darkness around him.

He blinked once, twice, but nothing came into view. He tried again, but to no avail: he could see nothing. He tried to move, yet his body seemed to ignore the order. Instead, it was falling slowly: descending deeper and deeper into invisible pits he thought of existing at the bottom of this empty realm. It was wonderful, feeling weightless; free.

So...

...Was this the freedom in being dead?

For, of course, if his memories had been right, then he must'_ve_ died by now. For the second time. For real.

That was the only logical outcome from using a foreign God Arc for the third time, wasn't it? Men couldn't cheat Death twice—or so the old saying had said. But then, was this really the answer to humanity's oldest question of mortality: this total darkness? Surely God would have thought of something better to prepare after mankind's exhausting journey to go back home. Though maybe heaven had simply not been prepared for a sinful soul like him.

So, was this hell? Had it all ended, then? If he'd died, then had his wishes been granted? He wouldn't have to suffer anymore, that was for sure, at the very least. He wouldn't have to take the damned medication in order to keep himself 'human' anymore; he wouldn't have to figure out his role in the rotting world, nor he would be obliged to do those madmen's biddings ever again. Those were the things that had been torturing him, and now, when he was finally free from the curse of living, why was there some feeling of uneasyness that refused to be washed away?

A faint voice of a girl rumbling a quiet giggle startled him. The voice, although sounded as if it had come from far away, was very clear in the silence.

Ray tried to search for the source, but the moment he moved, everything changed. The darkness around him swirled slowly, revealing an image much like a reflection of a place seen through water. His falling slowed down at the darkness' absence, and he landed softly on what felt like a snowy land. He blinked again, readjusting his vision to the dim light that had penetrated through the blackness, and found that he was standing in a grand, snowy place.

The darkness was no more by then: it had gathered up in the sky, dancing slowly in the blackening clouds as the sky poured down flakes of snow. There were no stars visible, for layers of clouds had blocked them from view. Yet he still felt at peace. If anything, the new realm was beautiful—in its own gentle way.

"Welcome," said a voice. "You can't believe how long I've been wanting to see you in person."

Ray turned around. Behind him, there stood a little girl clad in white robe. The girl looked just about twelve or thirteen in age, and she had the whitest hair Ray had ever seen: so pale that it almost glowed silvery in the dim light. She wore it down, and it fluttered softly against the gentle breeze.

But what had caught his attention was her eyes. They were golden. So brilliant the color that he couldn't help but to think that they looked almost unnatural on the girl's otherwise delicate figure.

The girl giggled again. "I'm not as frail as you think," she said. Ray was about to open his mouth to utter a question, but before he could, the girl nodded to respond. "You can hide nothing in this realm."

At the curt answer, Ray stood still. He would, as any normal people would in ordinary circumstances, be taken aback, or even horrified, at the prospect of being unable to think in private. But this was no ordinary circumstances. He felt strangely content instead.

"Ah," the girl said, closing her eyes. The smile that was plastered on her face grew wider. "It seems that people are less questioning, even less demanding, when they are at peace." She opened her eyes again, and this time, there was a hint of amusement flickering in them. "Normally, people would ask us many wonders. Have you met one of our kind before? Or are you simply too absorbed in the notion of living in this realm?"

Thoughts and memories danced in his mind. This girl... Her sweet, calming voice seemed to have some strange effects on him. He could not pinpoint what were those, but he was slowly able to recall past events and gather his mind at the merest curiosity in her voice. "I have met one of your kind," Ray replied, which rather took himself by surprise. An image of a boy with black hair and a pair of familiar golden eyes staring gently at him floated in his mind, confirming his words.

The girl nodded once, understanding dawning in her golden eyes. "So it was true. We have suspected of such a thing... It was... Two and a half years ago. Am I right?"

"Yes. And... did you just say 'we'?"

"Why, of course." She looked mildly surprised as she blinked. "I _share _her thoughts. And she sensed mine, sometimes. Isn't it just the way it is?"

At that, a name, a name which he had been trying to prevent from being said out loud, slipped out from the tip of his tongue:

"_Alisa_."

The girl stared at him, sharp eyes boring into his. "Do you hate her?"

He was about to reply by stressing on the fact that his thoughts and emotions were bare to see in a sarcastic implication, but then found himself shaking his head instead. There was no point in being defensive in this place, wasn't there...

"I don't."

If she felt relieved or amused by his answer, she didn't show it. Instead, the girl turned around and began to pace away slowly. Ray followed where she led him. "Are you happy then—to let it all end like this?" she asked.

He wondered for a moment before replying, "I don't know. I'm just... tired. I don't think I'd be able to make any difference if I were allowed to live. As you can see, I am a puppet. A puppet with no ability to act on its own."

"So that's your view?" Her voice was not giving away anything, he thought with a suppressed sigh, and were she to face him, he knew her face too would be as blank as a wall. Why was it the inverse of the mind-reading-thing not working for his benefits? "You view yourself as a puppet controlled by a string, then. No more than a person without purpose."

"That's what I am. Or do you have better suggestions?"

"No if you don't even want to acknowledge the part you are playing." She came to a stop. And it was then that Ray realized that they were in a cemetery. Tombstones potruded from the white landscape, neatly ordered in a cluster with trees planted in between the rows. The girl turned to face Ray again, and this time, the smile she gave to him was wry and tired. She took a step aside while gesturing him to observe closer.

Two tombstones stood eerily still before him. The names carved on the stones were, much to Ray's despondence, all too familiar. He scowled at the girl. "Why are you showing me this?"

"To satisfy your curiosity, and to answer your questions," she said with a shrug. The girl entwined her fingers behind her back, her eyes wide as if to ensure him that she held no secrets from him. "You've been wondering for quite some time, no? That whether you are a misfit of her parents' creation or simply a wandering soul summoned back by people whose ideals you scorn."

"And why do you think—By the heavens, you talk in riddles," Ray said with loathing, and sighed. "I've stopped questioning for quite some time now, and I do not intend to pick up such a useless habit just because you've been _gracing_ me with your observations."

"I had thought," the girl said, haltingly, "that I've told you that your thoughts are not locked inside your mind at the moment. Or would you want me to remind you of the fact? With another 'show' perhaps?"

She didn't wait for Ray to answer and snapped her fingers. The surroundings began to blur again, and by the time she lowered her hand, they were already standing inside a neatly ordered room. A piano was placed at one corner of the room, with two violins sitting across of it. Books and papers were stacked in a line of shelves; a thick, cream colored carpet and a matching wallpaper wrapping the room in a warm feeling of being separated from the madness of the outside world.

Ray shut his eyes. He made no attempt to block deluding memories of days long past and the surge of mixed emotions at the sight of the room. "My home," he said with longing he didn't bother to conceal. When he opened his eyes again, he could feel that the wall inside him had come crashing down. Pain began to seep in, as well as fear, hopelessness and fright. "What is it that you want?" he asked in a small voice. "Why torture me with memories I've chosen to discard?"

"Lies." The girl's eyes were brightening as she spoke. "You've never discarded any single detail of everything that has transpired. You simply locked them and discarded the key." Ray's frown deepened at her words, but the girl continued mercilessly. "You kept telling yourself that there was no virtue in living, that there was no use in feeling, that pain was all there it was for everyone who lives in this forsaken age."

"I won't deny what you've said, for they are the truth." He was feeling sickened by her words. Listening to her talking had made him weary all of a sudden. "There is no hope for humanity. You've witnessed what's going on out there: people are devoured each day, whether it is by lurking monster or by their own madness and foolish ideals. The world isn't going anywhere; there's no such thing such as a 'bright future' ahead."

"Maybe that is true," the girl said, nodding slightly as she neared the tombstones bearing two Russian names. They had been brought back to the vast cemetary in a blink of an eye. "Maybe there is indeed no such thing. Maybe... There isn't any hope for those who have discarded the will to live. But," she waved a hand at the landmark, "aren't those who yearn to live share their feelings with whom they're connected with?"

Ray shifted uncomfortably in his feet. "Connect? What are you saying?"

"They are dead men, that is plain to see," said she. "But it doesn't mean that they are nothing. They've walked, breathed, spoken... _lived. _They've changed the world around them simply by existing—and thus, they earned these." She pointed her index finger at the carved names on the gray stones. "Aren't you humans called by names? What are they worth for if one does not even wish to exist?"

"That's..."

Ray paused to inhale. This was not something he'd prepared to face. The questions, the bright eyes...

As seconds passed, Ray found that controlling his breath was gradually becoming a painful effort. He subconsciously clutched at the front of his shirt, feeling the constant hammering of his own heart against his chest. "I've died," he said through clenched teeth, his voice low and hoarse. "_I've died_. What had awoken eversince I opened my eyes in that lab... It... It was not _me_."

"Because you chose not to be," replied the girl. "Everything happens because of choices. You chose to live a life as a Gods Eater. Then you chose to die to your old self. You chose to block your mind out of the screaming voices inside your head; you chose to ignore the feelings of those around you."

"I _did not _choose to die!" Ray said, louder than he had wanted. But before he knew it, he was already shouting. "What do you know of losing everything important to you? What do you know of losing your own identity? Why should I hope—when even there is not a single feeling I have left but bitterness?"

Despite of him lashing out at her, the girl stood still, her golden eyes assessing Ray silently in a way that was infuriating to him. There was no mockery in those eyes, nor pity or contempt. The gaze she was giving him was not cold, yet not tender. If anything, she looked bewildered—as if Ray had just stated out loud the impossible.

"You can't control fate," she began, awaiting his reaction with a pause. "But you can tread your life through choices. You chose not to hope, and I won't blame you for that—"

"Then off with it! Enough of this all! People live by hoping, and I've—"

"And despite knowing of your decision, _she _still hopes."

The words that had just come from the girl stung him. Ray stared mutely at her, aware of the rising and falling of his own chest, then fell onto one knee. Warmth began to sluice down his cheeks. He raised a hand to his face, finding his fingers wet with tears. "I... Why am I—" he let out a short bark of laughter colored with disbelief. "This is madness. Put off your spell," he croaked.

The girl moved to touch his shoulder. "I did not enchant you with anything but words. Facts, in truth." Her voice was gentle, soothing even. She withdrew her hand. "You may stop hoping, or even living if you want. But it doesn't mean that others would do so, too. Everyone chooses. And she's chosen to hope."

Had she...? Despite knowing that he'd given up on living?

Ray turned his gaze upward to meet hers, just in time to see a subtle smile blooming on the pale-skinned face. "Didn't I tell you that you can't keep your thoughts to yourself in here? Lying to yourself counts." She shrugged, laughing, the sound high and pure. "Oh, such a silly question you have. You _know_ why."

Slowly rising up to his feet, he dried his cheeks with his sleeve. A smile was working its way onto his lips, and he stopped wondering of the reason. "I know," he said. "What I do not know is whether humans could ever atone for what they've done in the past..."

"Don't bother. There is no atonement in life." She lifted a shoulder. "Everything is the product of choices, after all. If you don't like your choices in the past, you make new ones."

"Then... What of me? What am I supposed to do?"

Darkness began to swirl again around them, engulfing everything in the color of black. Ray felt himself being hoisted up from the ground, his body feeling feather light. He ascended slowly, while the girl stayed on the snowy ground, looking up to him with a widening smile.

"One simple thing," she said as Ray rose higher and higher. "Choose."

* * *

xx - 0 - xx

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14 – 09 – 2075 / 15:47:09

Alisa flinched at the prickling sensation of needles going through her skin all at once. One was on the back of her neck, one was on right her arm, and the other was on her left wrist. She clamped her mouth shut with some difficulty, shutting her eyes at the horrifying thought of what she might see in the dimly lighted laboratory. Some seconds passed and the three needles were finally drawn out of her flesh, leaving her in a strange dizziness and slight nausea.

She was bathed in a small pod containing bluish liquid that she recognized as the same substance she'd seen from her resonance-induced-dream. Her breaths were short behind the oxygen mask, and she felt as if her skin was starting to crumple away. She wanted to scream or fight her way free, but she knew she had no strength to. Not with those scientists injecting strange substances into her blood in every five minutes.

"—resistance... New-Type, just like expected."

"Don't increase the dosage—yet. Let's see—what—her..."

The voices around her sounded as if coming from a distance. She remembered this sensation. Though it hadn't been her who had been experiencing the torture of being a lab rat. It had been _him_.

Guilt, ache and the bitter feeling of being left alone seized her heart. It was no wonder that he had become the person he was now. She too wouldn't be able to bear the thoughts of being sold away to these... _mad_ people—being sold to become a mere _object_ of whatever design they had in mind.

Two more needles pricked on her skin, and she was already too tired to respond with a slight jolt. How many minutes, or hours, had passed eversince she had been thrown into this prison? Or rather, how long would it take for her to... To what? What were they experimenting on this time? Surely she hadn't died yet, so it must not be the same experiment that Ray had gone through. Then, what? Were they going to test how long she could endure some amount of a newly developed bias factor? Or were they simply testing out some new drugs—to see how a New-Type Gods Eater would react against them?

She felt her mind numbing as each second passed: her body heavier, her muscles growing weaker. It hadn't been the same to what Ray had experienced, she thought with dread. In his case, it was actually the exact opposite. Through the Resonance, she'd felt his senses growing sharper, his muscles burning, his mind producing thoughts and images on a rapid motion. Then, could it be that she was a failure?

A rattle shook the pod she was being kept in, stirring her awake. The second one came, and this time there were gunshots and shoutings all around. Alisa thought of the possibility of some Gods Eaters entering the lab. More gunshots, curses, screaming, the piercing sound of glass breaking resounded in the secluded room. Alisa struggled to open her eyes, and found that her eyelids were far too heavy—whatever they'd drugged her with, there must be a large amount of sedatives mixed in it.

Before she could draw enough strength to glance at her surroundings, a cracked sound was audible, quickly followed by another one. The glass around her broke. Alisa had almost panicked when the liquid that had been keeping her afloat began to rush out of the container. She was dreadful at what was going to happen.

There was another slam, and this time, it seemed to have created a crack big enough for her body to come out of the pod. Her feet felt utterly weak the moment they hit the bottom of the container, then gravity pulled her forward through the crack on the glass.

A pair of arms caught her before she hit the ground. Coughing, she limped against the shoulder that she was pressed onto. The person removed the oxygen mask she was wearing—which resulted in her gasping painfully for air—then proceeded to yank out any needle that hadn't been removed. Her mind could barely register the minimal pain since her whole body felt as if it had just been filled with acid.

Through half-lidded eyes, Alisa could see a blurry sight of Ray. He carried her on one shoulder and seated her upon a metal desk. Everything was so confusing she could even barely process the fact that she'd just been freed by _him._

Weakly, she reached out to his face, mumbling his name. He grasped her hand midway and squeezed it tight, letting her body absorbing the slight pressure and pain. It was then she could open her eyes and look right up at him.

The face before her was slightly contorted with fear. There was concern in the dark red eyes of his. Also uncertainty.

"They were trying to infuse you with mutated oracle cells," he said. Although he was speaking in a low voice, she could make out of a stir in it. "I'm going to inject the bias factor to fight them off."

Too weak to respond or to think, Alisa let her head fall onto his shoulder as she tried to dismiss the fog lingering in her head. It failed, though. Everything in her mind was being enshouded by a whirl of confusing thoughts: she couldn't think straight, she couldn't process any single thing that went on around her, and on top of it all, she felt misrably sick. All she wanted to do was crouching on the floor and be left alone, giving in to the nauseating sensation that was conquering her whole being.

Ray let her rest for a short moment before he shook her gently by the shoulder. "It will be painful," he informed, reluctance in his voice.

Alisa drew in a long breath as she withdrew herself from him, then gave a slight nod. So, without waiting for another respond, he lifted her right hand and injected a clear blue liquid stored in a syringe through her armlet.

In an instant, she felt coldness run through her body, jolting her awake. Then pain begun to seep into her blood.

Instinctively, she clutched onto Ray's shirt and let out a whimper. This was worse than the pain she'd felt before—she could feel every cell in her body clashing at one another this time, battling for supremacy against the invading oracle cells. Breathing was beginning to hurt her lungs, and she didn't even know whether she was screaming or on the way into losing her unconsciousness. She felt as if she couldn't get enough air.

Then some things happened lightning fast.

She jerked away from him when the aching within her escalated, thrashing violently in response to the pain; Ray gripped her arm with one hand, drawing her closer, and within a beat of a heart, drew her head with another hand, and crashed her lips with his.

It took two seconds for her panicking brain to register the event fully. She froze in surprise, pain forgotten.

Alisa closed her eyes when familiar sensations of warmth, affection and longing surged through her veins at the gentle touch, settling a heavy feeling that was beginning to pull her deeper into the calming darkness.

Ray wasn't tense like he had been when she'd stolen a kiss from him in the plains. Instead, she could feel him relaxing as each second flew by, before a slow parting of his lips made her heartbeat leap in pace.

His movements were deliberate and unhurried, tracing slow and steady. His mouth was soft and firm; one of his hands moved to circle the back of her neck, guiding her. Alisa hadn't even been sure whether this was real or simply a delusion produced by the effects of the infection until she found herself parting her own lips and raising her hands to trace the sides of his face.

As the world around them crumbled into nothingness, Alisa's consciousness was slowly returning, summoned from the deeper part of her mind by each contact they made. She started to feel, then: of the pain subsiding; of each of his drawn breath; of the tips of her fingers burried in his hair; of a different kind of aching that'd begun to rise up—a painful ache that spread out from her stomach to speed her heart and knot her hands in his hair.

Emotions that had been burried for one year were overflooding her, becoming more and more unbearable that she was forced to break away from him and lowered one hand onto his chest to hold him a little bit away. She gasped for air and shut her eyes.

"Tell me," Alisa managed to say in a weak voice. She could not bear to look at him, too afraid that her expression would betray her feelings. Was everything he had just done meant nothing than a mere desperate attempt to ease her pain? She couldn't bring the question into words. Her heart and mind ached at the slightest thought of hope. "Is this... really you?"

Ray was still for a moment; he seemed to be aware of what was possessing her mind. Then, he cupped her cheek and gently lifted her face. Words flickered in the gleaming red discs, she could see, but none came to his lips. Conflicted feelings and mixed emotions were darkening his expression, but he held her firm, his body tensing. Finally, he spoke. "I've been wondering of the same thing."

Alisa rose her hand to lightly touch his cheek, so close to hers, and then the skin of his throat, where the blood beat hard beneath the surface. She closed her eyes and savoured his warmth. "You're afraid," she found herself murmuring the thing that had just occured to her.

"Terrified."

"What for?"

He inhaled sharply. "If I wanted to believe that this was me," Ray said carefully, "would you also believe?"

She blinked up at him, and felt the last two weeks clouded by bitter emotions fall away in shreds. Ray leaned in again, very slowly this time, as if allowing her to jerk back or push him away.

—To which Alisa didn't use the chance. Instead, she tilted her head slightly and let their lips meet.


	21. Chapter 17: Freyja

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

**Freyja**

* * *

14 – 09 – 2075 / 16:18:43

Alisa's eyes drifted shut when she felt his fingertips through the wet material of her Fenrir uniform at the small of her back, their gentle pressure pushing her closer against him. As their lips touched, clung, briefly parted, and returned to each other in a beat of a heart, she let her hands trailed up to his hair.

The kisses reminded her of rain. Of the light rain that poured down onto the earth in early autumn. It was the kind of rain that she had grown fond to as a child: to be playing out in the cold, breathing in the fresh scent of water carried by the gentle breeze, dancing to the rhyme audible only to herself. Being near him, lost in their shared breaths and warmth... All of them brought back every long-forgotten memory of brighter days.

Ray was speaking to her silently, saying what he could not say in words with the brush of his lips on hers. This was different from the Resonance—where she could sense his thoughts as if they were her own. This was more... mutual. She didn't feel as if she was using another person's skin or was being forced to see the world from his eyes; instead she felt warm and content; fully conscious of her whole being, as well as his.

It was like a dance, she thought when they both tilted their heads to deepen the kiss. Their bodies moved deliberately in a rythmed pace, as if knowing each other's feelings and movements completely. Emotions that had never been able to be converted into words were overflowing her—forming another kind of pain that he seemed to also share as his arms were tightening around her, allowing Alisa to feel the hammering of his heart against her own, lifting her feet off the ground, searing her nerves. Strands of silver hair were brushing his face softly when she brought her head down to recapture his mouth with hers.

Ray's hands were secured around her, holding her so close that it was almost impossible to pull a breath into her burning chest. His breath was hers, and none of them were willing to give it away. She felt the cold steel wall touch her back; he was pining her against it.

At the familiar sensation coursing through Alisa, all the pieces inside her that had felt broken and jagged when she had looked at him these past few days began to knit together. Healing.

A soft vibration shook the room with a muffled sound that seemed to have come from miles above. The tremor was at a minimum level, but it alerted them nontheless.

Ray leaned back and carefully put her down, his dark eyes locked on hers. His gaze was softening and he brushed a lock of damp hair from her face. "Thank you," he said, "for believing in me. And... I'm s—"

The fingers that moved to touch his lips halt the words. "No," Alisa said. With andrenaline ceasing down from plumbing its way through her veins, the forgotten pain and dizziness were once again registering themselves into her senses, making her voice sounded small and weak. She swallowed to clear her throat and said again, a little bit firmer this time, "I don't want to hear it. You did what was required of you to survive, and I don't want to muse over it or become a reason for you to apologize."

He seemed like he was about to object, but then reconsidered and exhaled instead. "I'll accept it. For now." His expression grew darker. "If you want to defend this place, then you will have to listen closely. There is not much that I can share, nor do I know their main purpose in attacking this branch. But their goal, at the moment, is to take over this place."

Alisa's eyes narrowed at this. "Take over?"

"Yes. Not much is given to us, but judging from our tasks, it is likely that they don't plan on simply obliterating the place. There are things—essential materials—that could be found here."

"Bias factor supply and cores?" she guessed.

"Maybe. But I do personally think there is more than that. The Far East Branch is not the closest branch to the labs if they were only aftering such things." He frowned, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Can you walk?"

Alisa nodded. She still felt stiff and cold all over, but her strength and senses were coming back to her, little by little.

"Then you have to inform the top brass of their tactics," he said. "The attack on the Den is only a distraction. The main actors in this battle are the ones who are attacking the Wall. There are more of us coming, and my job—as well as Larg's—is to see that those who've been planted in the Den could get into specific places..."

Again, a distant sound of a chain of explosions could be heard. "...Though I figure that they've given the task to someone else by now," he finished.

"How many are coming?" Alisa asked. "Are they also—," she paused for a second, searching for the right word, "—the same as you and Larg?"

"Enhanced fighters, yes," he affirmed in a bitter tone. "I don't know how many are dispatched, but we wouldn't be the only ones attacking. The Aragami are in this as well." Before she could ask, he said, "Some of us are tasked to lure them closer to the Wall. It's a pretty easy task, so I don't think it will cost much time."

It was a well organized plan, Alisa thought with disgust. One party served as a distractor, while the other secured a way to get the researchers inside, and the other storming their defenses for a bigger entrance. She glanced sideways, and for the first time, saw what had been of the lab. The room was dimly lit, and they were in one corner shaded by curtains, but she could still catch glimpses of dead bodies and blood on the floor.

Noticing her expression, Ray tore his gaze from her as he dropped his hands and took a step back. "I had no choice," he murmured. "Not all of us are able to think or act freely. The two men you saw earlier with the whitecoat... They're inferior in almost every aspect to my kind, but their mindlessness makes them great puppets."

The foul scent of blood mixed with substances stored in the lab had begun to creep into Alisa's senses. She felt nauseated when her brain involuntarily rehearsing the images of corpses—dead humans, not Aragami—laying in awkward angles at the hallway to Aegis' inner depths.

"Are the ones coming also share their mindlessness?" she was saying as she forcibly snapped her mind back to the conversation at hand.

"Yes. There are only three—no, two people," he corrected himself, "who are like me. One is leading the attack on the Wall, while the other's task is to distract you." Ray grabbed his God Arc from an operating table beside them. "I will go to the frontlines and see what I can do. You go tell the Doctor and everyone of their movements."

It would be the best plan for now, she decided, since no one would believe him were he to leak any information to the higher ups himself. Alisa caught his arm before he walked away. "Be careful," she said.

He was looking at her in a way that she couldn't quite interpret. Was it hesitation she saw in his eyes? Or guilt?

Alisa took a step closer to him, slowly—in fright that he would jerk away.

He did not. So she slowly wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent. "Come back _alive_."

Ray was idle for some seconds before his hand anchored behind her ear to lift her face upward. The eyes that looked into her were full with emotions, and she could feel them washing over her.

He was frightened. Frightened at what would happen, or to be precise, what _might _happen. Such was the thing to be expected from someone who had once discarded the will to live and given away his freedom, much less in change for a blank new paper. Alisa had felt like this before. Discarding one's past ideals and old way of living is frustating, as it only leaves uncertainties in its trail, and with no clear sense of one's own self and purpose in life.

None of them looked away. She knew he was also reading her thoughts through her eyes, and she could only hope that they didn't betray the sparked hope that had been ignited within her. There were things they had to talk over, things they had to settle. But both of them knew those things could wait.

Softly, she said, "I want to trust you. That's why you have to trust yourself and come back. Or you'd make me a fool for believing in a dead man."

He looked uncertain for a moment, shifting his weight onto one feet with doubts written all over his face. There would be many things to ponder once everything had ended: such as his medication, or his status as a dead Gods Eater. Those things were only half of what was bothering him, she could see. But then he breathed in and finally said, "I shall play by your rules, for this once."

* * *

xx - 0 - xx

* * *

14 – 09 – 2075 / 16:26:21

Soma was running to the Outer Wall with some of his fellow God Eaters when another explosion, which was louder than the previous, was caught by his ears. Muttering some curses under his breath, he spun around and jumped over a perimeter, shouting to his comrades. "You guys go to the Wall and clean up those beasts."

His colleagues didn't stop to question his decision and merely nodded while keeping their feet moving. They all knew that hordes of Aragami had already been rampaging close to the spot where the second attack'd been reported. Obviously, more men were needed to intercept the monsters. Being the second factor was that everyone had never doubted the senior Gods Eater's capabilities in combat. He was more than capable to be trusted with the the task of stopping the intruder _and _keeping his head attached to where it belonged.

A second explosion occured, and this time, it was clearly coming from the main gates. Soma sped up, clicking on his intercom to inform Hibari of his change of direction.

"Be careful," the operator said, her voice cracked by statics. "So far we've only detected one intruder in that area. A woman equipped with a God Arc. But she seems to be holding her ground. She may be a lure."

He clicked his tongue impatiently. "She may be," he said. "But she's killing people while she's at it."

Arriving to see the scene full of smokes, piles of debris and dead bodies, the sound of battle were crystal clear now: of guns being fired, screams, and most important of all, the light steps and a faint sound of a God Arc engaged in combat. It took only a second for Soma to locate his foe with his sensitive ears, and having no time to lose, he leapt over a big chunk of fallen pillars with his God Arc raised.

There she was, standing with her God Arc in gun-mode, shooting at her targets through a thick mist of gray and black smokes. Her back was wide open. A split moment before Soma's buster blade could bash down at her, however, the woman rolled to her right.

Yanking his blade free from the ground, Soma dashed at her again. But this time, she had danced to his left and changed her weapon into close combat mode. Steel met steel, then—the sound awfully dull in his ears—though he knew better that she was more agile than him, which would only mean that at their current proximity, she would gain the upper hand. Soma attempted a fast retreat by leaping backward, thinking that the missed attack she'd just made would slow her down, hopefully enough to distance himself further.

The thought failed him. For in the next second, she spun around and gave chase. The woman's face was covered by the hood of her coat, but through the flickering of the black cloth, he could make out a dark gleam in a pair of red orbs. She was about to plunge her weapon at him in a quick thrust when two shots broke her aim.

The woman leapt back to evade another shot, and Soma used that opportunity to throw a stun grenade before she could regain her balance. Her shield sprang open to block it, but the numbing impact must have hit her as she staggered a few steps backward.

"Ciel, cover my back," said a familiar voice from some paces behind them.

Soma turned around just in time to see Julius, the leader of an affiliate of Fenrir whom he'd met several times in regular meetings, running past him with his long blade at the ready. A girl with silver hair landed right beside Soma, changing her God Arc into gun mode as she gave a nod to the tanned Gods Eater—ensuring him that she had his back too.

Some of the stunned Gods Eaters had recovered, and now, were assisting the two close combatants with laser bullets. Julius was an adept fighter, that much was certain, but his speed was slightly below the intruder's, which was evident from the openings she had made through every contact of their God Arcs.

Soma leapt over and bashed at her again. She evaded while blocking some shots with her shield, but the tiny moment in which she was dazed was all they needed.

"Shoot!" one of the gunners who were still standing shouted.

Everyone opened fire then, going on a full barrage, locking the woman into defense mode as she was piled against a huge chunk of metal behind her. Soma and Julius were about to rush again when the 1st Unit member saw some objects were thrown at them.

Soma halted his advance abruptly as he activated his shield. "Watch out!"

Three grenades exploded. Soma ducked his head low, covering one of his ears with one hand as the stunning impact crept over the sturdy material of his shield to his hand and arm. But the counterattack didn't stop. Missiles came. Using all of his strength to dash to his side, he managed to get away just in time before the new round of attack pierced through the air. Not every Gods Eater and armed guard was lucky enough to escape unscratched; pained cries were audible from all around him.

He caught glimpses of shadows moving about in the smoke, and realized that they were the enemies' reinforcements. "Julius!" he called out to the blond who was shielding himself and his colleagues from the missiles, "We'll distract them!"

Nodding, Julius barked an order to disperse. Soma folded his shield, squinting to see his targets through the mist of dust, and when he spotted two of them, he quickly dashed forward—his shield half opened. As flesh came in contact with his serrated blade, a horrible gauging sound was produced, and indicator that he'd been successful in his blind charge. The sensation of cutting through human body was beginning to nauseate him, more so by the gurgling sound the dead bodies made before they hit the dirt.

But Soma didn't stop to think. Letting his instinct to lead him to the closest foe, he made a wide swing, knocking the God Arc that was being held by the man in black off his hands. Barely he noticed the blank look of the eyes that were staring at him—and—_stab_.

"Don't get cocky!" shouted a voice coming from above.

Soma dodged to his left, evading the tip of the lance that should've impaled him to the ground should he reacted a second late. No, the word 'impaling' would be too weak; 'crushing' would fit better, judging from the size of the lancehead up close and the mechanism that operated it like a drilling saw.

The lancer, on the other hand, was not wearing his cloak, so this time, Soma could make out his face well. From the wild looks on his red eyes, he easily recognized this one. He was the impudent figure he had met before in that abandoned sector, the one who had almost attacked them on sight if it weren't for his companions who'd stopped him.

The lancer spun on his heels and attempted a cleave. Julius was already prepared to engage it, so Soma distanced himself further from the two fighters and risked a second to scan the area around him. It was worse than he'd imagined. Corpses were everywhere—most of them consisted of guards and Fenrir's recruits who happened to be there at the time of the attack; while there were only a few Gods Eaters lying in awkward angles, casualties were still casualties. The main gates had also been destroyed, the mechanism barely functioning.

"Pausing to sightsee?"

At the feminine voice that called, Soma jerked back and raised his weapon, alarmed. The shield on his God Arc shuddered when two bullets hit the surface. The woman fired again, but Soma knew better to move rather than to defend. So he skidded to his side and dashed at her.

"What do you want?" he asked through gritted teeth as their blades met.

The cloaked woman parried lightly against his attacks, dancing nimbly to make out an opening. "It depends on whom you're referring to," she said as she lashed her blade at him again in a swift motion. Soma was forced to leap back while signaling for the gunners behind him to start firing.

She was clever, the veteran Gods Eater thought with disdain, when she simply dodged the incoming missiles by running along the broken wall. Stopping to deploy her shield would mark her death by _his _hands, after all. A clever and nimble opponent... Soma cursed inwardly. No matter how intelligent the Aragami had become, it was obvious that they wouldn't rival humans in terms of battle tactics and strategy. It would seem that humans armed with God Arcs and an ill cause posed a greater threat than packs of hungry monsters.

"Gods Eaters," she said without decreasing her speed, "are you not accustomed in fighting battles against opponents who are capable of _thinking_?"

If she hoped she could taunt him by being sarcastic, she was dealing with the wrong bunch of people. Soma signaled the gunners to disperse again, changing their patterns of firing. He launched himself to engage the woman in close combat once again. It would be the strategy then: fire, disperse, press in, fire again.

But when a loud sound of explosion was added into the chaos, he knew that they were soon going to have to retreat. "Aragami! There are more of them coming this way!" said Hibari through the intercom. "Wait—there's a—"

The sound buzzed and statics filled in. Then: "—llies! A—mobile..."

By the time the intercom died, everyone had heard of the sound of what seemed to be metal and gears working on a heavy engine making their way toward them. The sound was getting clearer and clearer, its shrieking sound resembling tons of cars speeding up in a race.

Soma craned his neck at the direction of the sound. A looming shadow at first, as it approached the perimeter, it soon began to give form to something he thought could only exist in books and old movies.

It was indeed a vechile. But none like he'd ever seen nor had ever imagined before.

It was a _gigantic_ tank. So enormous it was in size that it could've been mistaken for a fortress that just emerged from the ground. Tall, fortified walls and buildings were built high on it, each was paved by solid metal. The front car—which resembled a locomotive—was howling a sirine call as it slowed down to a stop in front of the western part of the Wall. Dust sprayed around its chained wheels.

"Calling all BLOOD Units," a voice echoed throughout the raging battlefield. "Repeat. Calling to All BLOOD Units to depart. Repeat..."

"'The hell is that thing...?" Soma was saying.

The sound of people shouting was carried through the air, and for a moment he almost missed the the insignia on the front car when people were jumping down from the tank-like fortress. Even from afar, he could see that they were each equipped with a God Arc.

"Allies," Hibari said, alerting everyone on the zone. It seemed that the previous disturbance in the line was due to the giant vechile's entry, and having it now at a stop, the communication line was clear once again. "They're our allies," she repeated. "By the authority of Far East Branch Council, members coded by X4F-100, code-named 'BLOOD', are permitted to join the battle. All Gods Eaters units are to engage the intruders in offensive formation."

Welcoming the message were loud cheers and cries to rally that were beginning to spread over the area. Julius leapt up and landed beside the Buster Blader. Some of the combatants who had just arrived, Soma realized, were making their way toward them. When they had gotten closer for a good inspection, he saw that they were people clad in black uniforms—the same uniforms he'd often seen in these late two months. They were said to be private units under a foreign military group that had signed an alliance with Fenrir. Their armlets were the color of night.

Julius held out one hand upon their arrival. "All arriving units shall be under my command in this operation. We shall drive these intruders away, and you are all allowed to slay the enemies except for the ones in command," he said, gesturing to the lancer and the woman who stood some paces away from them. Then he looked sideways at Soma and lifted one shoulder. There was a little smile curling on his mouth. "Now let me introduce you to the entire family of the BLOOD Units, Schicksal. We're all at your service."

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xx - 0 - xx

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_**A/N - 17th January 2013 : **Thank you for your support and responsive messages in the last chapter! I really appreciate it all! And I'm terribly sorry for the late update... Well, my schedule has been quite harsh on me as of late, so my time to write is and will be very limited-at least until the end of this month._


	22. Chapter 18: Those Who Defy

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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_**A/N - 26th January 2013 : **I have just finished editing this fanfiction from Prologue to Chapter 17. I hope it shall be of a better read for you :)_

___The story is fast approaching its end, and the last arc will begin starting from this chapter. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do in writing it. ____As always, I present a bundle of love to my dearest Readers and Reviewers. _

___(A question out of curiosity: Which chapter do you find most interesting?)_

___**Additional N : **There had been a little error concerning time in the second part of this chapter which I've corrected. And also, starting from this chapter, some events might take place all at once, though they will be written in different Point of Views. Pay attention to the date/time for more information._

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___Final Arc - Part 1  
_

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**Chapter 18**

**Those Who Defy**

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14 – 09 – 2075 / 17:31:04

If being outnumbered, cornered and pressed from all sides by the newly reinforced allied forces between Gods Eaters from the Far East Branch and BLOOD Units had put the intruders at an edge, the cloaked woman and the lancer didn't show any sign of being too stressed out. Their numbers were beginning to wear thin, but even so, they all still fought well, even managing to badly wound some combatants on Fenrir's side. And what Soma had to admire, as much as he despised to acknowledge, was their stamina.

The battle had raged on for quite some time now, but despite being in a disadvantage of having limited bullets and fewer men, these cloaked intruders were not slowing down. Even Soma was beginning to feel exhaustion creeping into his muscles and mind, and he could swear that their opponents were still as agile and annoying as ever. Hell, they didn't even seem to be sweating…! Had they consumed some kind of stamina boosters beforehand? He couldn't possibly know.

Their inhumane stamina was not the only thing that was tugging at the back of his mind. They seemed to be holding their ground, and this was evident by their undistracted purpose to delay time seen from the firmness they'd displayed to keep the allied armies at bay. They kept on fighting as if they had been tasked to stay on one post until the end. And what was more, through the relayed order passed down by Hibari, the Gods Eaters had been forced to divide their forces into smaller groups to defend the Wall from rampaging Aragami that threatened to burst through. This all delaying purposes of keeping their men spread out over the whole area were suspicious—there must be something else that those ex-researchers had their hands on while Fenrir were busy defending themselves.

"Do you think," Julius, who was fighting alongside Soma's unit, was saying, "that they are luring us into something?"

"You just voiced the thought that's been bothering me," he replied as he swung his God Arc at a nearest foe. The blade missed the cloaked figure by a centimeter, and he fought down the urge to curse. They were very quick on their feet, he'd give them that.

Brendan, one of the group leaders defending the area, landed a hit on the ground, causing two of the intruders to back away hurriedly, making them an easy prey for the gunners who had been waiting for any openings. One of them was shot down soon after he dodged Brendan's blade, while the other one managed to guard himself against the bullets with his buckler. Soma leapt in, then, using the momentum to tear down the metal with the impact of his heavy slam.

"I dread this could go on forever," rasped Brendan when the two were close enough to stand back to back. He was catching his breath, and Soma wouldn't fault him for that. "One of them could combat five of us."

All Soma could make was a guttural sound of begrudging compliance. He said, "And they're purposively trying to lock us down in one place."

They moved apart to swing their huge swords at any approaching foes, got back again in a tight defense to watch each other's back, then on the attack once more. Shields sprang up in one moment and blades meeting blades in another second. "But we can't leave this place, can we?" Brendan said, somewhat unnecessarily, as he leapt back to defend against incoming missiles.

That goes without saying, Soma thought. "Unless we want to see everyone here massacred, no." And that fact settled a knot in his stomach. By the gods, they were wasting time! Or possibly worse: playing right into those madmen's hands. Maybe both, but he didn't miss the possibility that whatever game it was they were being set to play, it was not going to have a pleasant ending nor some moral values in it.

"Unit 2, do you hear me?" Hibari's voice reached out to them. "You are to go back to the Den and assist the rangers in guarding the labs."

"That's impossible," said Brendan from behind his shield. "Reducing our men here would be dangerous! We can't leave these guys roaming free!"

Soma had just thought of the same thing, but he knew Tsubaki and Sakaki must have some reason behind the order, so he forced a smirk and said, "Do you think we can't handle these monkeys ourselves?"

Brendan looked doubtful for a second, his unit members looked even more puzzled. But then he nodded curtly and shot Soma a 'don't-you-dare-die' look and signaled his subordinates to retreat.

Julius and his men quickly covered their absence, thankfully, by blocking the path the 2nd Unit had just used to run back into the fortress. Then, before they could resume the battle, a figure leapt from one of the broken platforms, aiming and shooting at two of the intruders in mid-air to prevent them from chasing after the retreating group, and landed several feet across Soma and the others. He was wearing a similar black coat to the lancer, which instantly put those who stood for Fenrir on high alert.

Upon realizing who it was, the lancer, who, a short while ago was still busy combating some members of BLOOD Units, turned around and dashed at him. Lance and blade met, sending sparks of orange and yellow flying around them. "_You_," the lancer said in a low, venomous tone. "I knew you would defect eventually."

Ray broke his God Arc free from the steel contact and swiftly moved to his left, slashing and thrusting still. He didn't say anything though, and when the lancer leapt back to create a distance for another charged attack, Soma jumped in to interrupt him by bashing his blade to the ground where he had been a split second before. The effect created a momentum he and his units had been working for, and without him having to tell the gunners what to do, they fired.

The lancer was quick enough to dodge the first incoming missile. But not having the time enough to shield himself properly, two bullets got through his defenses, piercing through his left shoulder. Soma and Ray lunged forward. Their blades succumbed themselves into the material of his shield, but the chunk of metal was obviously not designed to neutralize the shuddering impact a buster blade could make out in a full-powered bash and it was quickly torn. So, as he was brought down to his knee by the attack, Ray ducked low and spun to his side, making a wide swing in a swift motion.

The blade was stopped by some piercing bullets before it hit its prey. Ray leapt back, shield deployed, and so did Soma.

"You understand what you are doing, Max?" the woman said, her gun at level with Ray's head.

Again, he made no reply. Instead he looked over his shoulder to meet Soma's gaze and said, "I suggest you divide your men to eradicate the Aragami at the Wall and pursue the white-coats scattered in the Den. They're sabotaging your equipments while you're busy playing around with their combatants, you know."

Soma grunted in reply. He jabbed his sword at his direction. "Any good reason why I should listen to _you_?"

Ray's voice and face were not giving anything away; there was no hint of any emotions at all when he spoke or fought, but there was this rigidness about him that told Soma that he was telling the truth. Even if it might have been a forced action.

The former 1st Unit Leader tilted his head to one side, his eyes trailing back to focus on the duo before him, his shoulders easing a bit. "No," he said after pondering for a while. "There's no reason at all." In the next second, his sword was meeting the lancer's again.

"Hibari," Soma called out in a low voice. He followed suit and attacked another pair of blank-faced foes, ignoring Julius' questioning stare. "What's the meaning of this?"

"I really don't know," replied the operator. He noted that frustration was already seeping into her usually calm, dulcet voice. "But Tsubaki and the Director haven't issued any order to intercept his movements, even though I'd informed them of his presence."

Julius, who was battling against another cloaked figure, approached Soma and raised one eyebrow. _Friend or foe?_

Soma was about to shrug when Ciel, the girl with pigtails, jumped in to aid her superior and said, "Isn't he helping us? I think that fact is enough for now."

To which Soma had no objections to.

He shouted to call out his unit members, telling them to follow Brendan's unit back into the Den. Julius, meanwhile, was dividing his group into three and ordered the third unit to go to the frontline. Everyone knew that this may be not the best course of action, but they lacked the leads of what those intruders were truly aiming for, and for now, Ray was their only accessible source of information. They did not have time to test where his allegiance was pledged upon.

Soma and his unit ran past their foes, and as he sprinted toward the broken gates, he shot Ray an icy look. "If you're fooling with us," he said as he made a pause to make sure he heard him loud and clear, "I swear I shall hunt you down and devour you."

Ray took in the glare in a measured silence, then, when Soma thought he would not reply, he flicked his eyes from him. In a very low voice that sounded more like a chant of prayers than a spoken reply, he murmured, "…Not for Fenrir."

"What?"

"I'm not doing this for Fenrir." And he shot at the pillars supporting the whole gates, closing off the entrance.

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xx - 0 - xx

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14 – 09 – 2075 / 17:38:16

Sakaki Paylor tapped his index finger repeatedly onto his table as he listened to Alisa. "So," he said after glancing to monitors hanging on the wall at the other side of his room, "you say that we should shut down all the system?"

"And every possible entranceway to our bias factor and cores supplies," she affirmed.

"It's impossible," said Tsubaki with a wince. "If we shut down the labs, it'd literally mean that we too would not function as a branch. Our system is linked with the Wall, and even Aegis. Underground passageways would not be accessible as well, not to mention trapping those who are inside."

"But it will only be for a brief moment," Alisa pressed on, knowing very well that they had every reason to object to her plan, "until we locate the head of this operation—"

"Stop them by what means, exactly?" Sakaki's words sliced through her unfinished sentence. The Doctor narrowed his eyes, his features hardening. He was rarely the type of leader who would intimidate his subordinates, much less pressing them, but when he did, Alisa knew that she should choose her words with extreme care if she wanted her plan to be approved. Gravely, she opted stay mute until he'd done presenting his theories. "Although we are supported by BLOOD in repelling these intruders, we are yet to find those who have gone into the Den. There is even a possibility that there are no enemies operating within the branch at all."

"It is likely that they are waiting for us to be weakened first before infiltrating at full force," supplied Tsubaki, but Alisa was shaking her head.

"Some of them have been planted inside for quite some time," she said, keeping her voice clear and steady despite the bubbling bitterness in her stomach. The white coated man who had dealt with her was a fine example of Fenrir's carelessness. "I don't know where they are, but I know that they are _not _outside. Or at least, they are not simply _waiting _to get in."

Absorbing her words, the two superior officers exchanged doubtful glances, each busy with their own thoughts and speculations. It was not until Hibari's voice resounded through the intercom, informing of their system being hacked, that Sakaki let out a long, exasperated sigh. Some of the monitors in the room had already blanked out.

"It seems that they are in a haste, eh," he said. Then, after another pause, he added, "So, no other options."

Alisa was about to open her mouth to form a reply when Tsubaki tapped a button on Sakaki's desk to reach Hibari. "Shut our system down," she said to the operator in a final tone that would not accept any compromises and questions alike. She then directed her gaze at Alisa. The kind of assessing gaze that made the younger woman felt as if she was a student under her tutelage once again. "One hour," Tsubaki said. "We will give you one hour to find where they are hiding—or stationed themselves inside the Den as you have claimed."

Within one hour every Gods Eater on duty shall be forced to rely on brute strength and bullets alone to defend the branch from Aragami and the intruders. Within one hour they shall not be able to rely on supporting machinery or electric barricades installed at the Wall. Alisa silently took a long breath. Failure was not an option. If she couldn't stop this madness within the approximated time, the upcoming sacrifice—and yes there would definitely be some casualties to this decision, she knew—would all be in vain. What was more? It would mean that every casualty on this one-hour-operation would fall upon her shoulders.

For a moment she let her heart reason with her mind, adding doubts into determination, putting logic into imagination. This mission was likely impossible to be accomplished without any strong leads, and shutting down the Wall plus putting Gods Eaters into full charge without any sufficient supplies could not be seen as a rationale decision Tsubaki and Sakaki would agree with.

It was a desperate attempt. A game of chance.

Worst, should they fail or succeed, death would not willingly retreat into its lair.

Knowing all this, would she still be willing to shoulder all the burden? Could she?

"_Sometimes, people are stronger when they lie to themselves."_

She closed her eyes upon an unwilling reminiscence of a certain night that seemed to have passed a decade ago. Still, though, the words echoed in her mind like a bell ringing from a distant place; sending cold all over her body, banishing uncertainties from her thoughts, steeling her heart.

Perhaps for once, she could boast of how her face remained placid while her mind was working its best to suppress her fears. "I shall move now," she informed her superiors as she turned to excuse herself from Sakaki's office. Lights went off the moment she took a step toward the door, and the next second, the room was glowing in a dim, yellowish light powered by the branch's emergency energy source. Hibari's voice resounded throughout the place to inform panicking Den Dwellers that this action had been taken under a direct order from the heads. Alisa hurried to grab her God Arc that was leant on the wall.

"Alisa," Sakaki called before she could reach the door. She spun around to meet a pair of gray eyes looking sharply at her. "Head to the 11th Hangar. I'm starting to get an inkling of what they're up to."

She nodded and left with an unpleasant feeling gnawing at her in a whole new level of insistence. There wasn't much time given to her, but if Sakaki's guess had been right, the value of one hour had just increased by thricefold.

_The 11__th__ Hangar.._. It should have been impossible for the intruders to gain access to such a well-guarded place, but she quickly dismissed the thought when she remembered what the whitecoat had said to her. _"I have always been inside…" _Just how many others of their men had also been inside without them noticing?

She literally flew down the stairs, avoiding the elevators in fear that it would not properly function at a time like these. Even as she made her way, her ears were already picking up noises of metal cracking and people shouting from floors below. Some mechanics were running to and fro around her, their panicking voices and eyes immediately confirmed that Sakaki was right: The intruders had hacked into the God Arc Soldiers OS.

"Do you hear me, Alisa?" Hibari's voice stung her ear with loud buzzes.

Without decreasing her speed, she breathed a 'Yes.'

"Some of our Gods Eaters had already reached the Hangar and are now holding the God Arc Soldiers in place," she informed. "Our engineers and project leaders are seeking a way to regain control of their system. But the hacker shouldn't be too far away, since we have shut any transmissions from outside." Which proved that her theory hadn't been a baseless one. "They are prototypes, so I don't think they would have too much combat data installed yet, but stay cautious," she added.

Prototypes or not, foes were foes. And still, the question remained: Where were the controllers?

Alisa sprang into the hangar through the broken doors. What she saw happening inside didn't help her in figuring anything at all. The hangar was in one hell of a mess: Gods Eaters were scattered all around the place, fighting mechanical figures about fifteen feet tall, equipped with sabers as large as a person; whereas computers and machineries left broken with electricity still shooting sparks here and there.

"Senior!" Annette, who'd just turned to see Alisa, beamed with a mixture of relief and desperation. The blond dodged a wide swing from one of the cyborgs circling her unit, and without thinking, Alisa started to open fire.

Some of the cyborgs were falling prey into her purpose of diverting their attention, and in the dimness of the hangar, Alisa could finally make out their features. They were cyborgs specifically made and tuned to combat the Aragami, she knew, but never she'd seen them with her own eyes since their developments had been classified as a top secret by Fenrir.

The God Arc Soldiers were automatons made resembling humans in rough designs, with longer arms and limbs, complete with a head that was shaped like an elongated skull. What bothered her, though, were their weapons and armors. The steel that covered all the wires and gears that enabled them to roam and fight was as solid as the Wall, that much could be seen from how her bullets didn't even manage to pierce through the metal.

As if it hadn't been bad enough, it appeared that they had a certain degree of finesse when it came into swinging those gigantic blades. They may lacked some speed and precision, not to mention that some of them had stiff movements and predictable patterned attacks, but one hit from that thing would surely kill a person. Alisa wondered if their programs had been based on Gods Eaters' database in recorded combat.

"Have they any weaknesses?" Alisa was asking to their comrades as she leapt and dodged. Because, obviously, her long blade wouldn't do much of a damage to these kind of opponents should she charged in blindly. Devouring was also out of question. "Any blind spots or such?"

Annette nodded. "Aim for the limbs," she said. "The core of that thing is buried deep within its armored chest." Which was impossible to be penetrated for the time being. There were only around ten of those cyborgs, but even one was already a tough opponent that no one would want to mess up with.

"Distract them," Alisa called out to the gunners and snipers in the area. She looked sideways to Annette. "Go for their legs while we're at it."

"Gotcha."

Nine long rangers ran to distract the cyborgs, firing and dashing to confuse the big chunks of metal, while close combatants charged in, aiming low and fast. _Where are they, _Alisa thought. She kept her feet moving, her hands aiming and shooting, her eyes frantically searching for any clues behind these automatons' movements. Hibari had said that the people controlling them couldn't be too far away, so there had to be something that would point out to their location, right?

"The engineers are going to skin me alive for this," rasped Annette when she'd succeeded in disposing a lower limb of one God Arc Soldier prototype, making the giant fell clumsily to one knee. Gunners quickly took the chance to aim for its head, while the New-Type jumped to unleash a finishing blow.

Alisa allowed herself a half smile. "They'll spare you. It's _me_ they're going to hang on the Wall." For suggesting such a comedic—if not suicidal—plan of shutting down the facility for a full one hour, obviously.

She risked a glance at her surroundings, momentarily leaving two prototypes she'd been battling, and made a quick calculation. Eight gigantic cyborgs were still standing, two of which were already losing their balance. The casualties were at a minimum level, thankfully, but she couldn't hope for their luck to last long: many of the combatants were already showing signs of fatigue, spare for herself and Annette—whose stamina was on a different level thanks to their compatible DNA with their New-Type God Arcs. Should the battle continued as it was…

The heavy doors to the hangar creaked with a shrieking sound, catching everyone's attention as it slid open with some difficulties. Surprised, Alisa tossed her head and squinted at a figure who had just emerged from the darkness.

"I come to help," said Marcus, panting.

Not believing her ears, Alisa ran to him, shouting commands for the others to keep their focus locked on their adversaries. "What are you doing here?" she asked when she'd managed to get near him. The middle-aged man was drenched in cold sweat, his suit and hair messy from running, his face pale. In his hands was a strange device in a size of a basket ball. "It's a dangerous place to be for an unarmed man."

"Don't worry. I am," he breathed. He lifted his hands, as if to show Alisa of what he'd been holding. "This," he said in a calmer tone, "is what I hope could get us through this mess."

The device looked like a radio controller with wires and antennas on top of it. A little screen was showing patterns of reading in waves that were constantly moving. "It is a jammer," explained Marcus. "I'm hoping that it would be enough to stop any transmissions that are moving these prototypes, though I cannot be sure that I'd be able to do so without jamming any other transmissions around."

"Have you got any proofs that it would wo—" Alisa stopped herself abruptly. No. It was clear from the look on his eyes that he had no solid proofs nor any guarantees that the device might actually work. But then again, so had she. "We'll take the chance," she decided.

Marcus looked at her with uncertainties in his eyes, as if not believing what he'd heard. He recovered quickly, however, and fixed her a grave look. "When I activate this thing, note that your—_our _contact with the base shall also be cut off: We'll be left without any means of wireless communication."

Hibari's urgent tone exploded through their intercoms. "Wait, both of you—"

"Do it," Alisa said without waiting for Hibari to cut in. She knew the risks, aware that what she was doing was beyond an act of defiance. And yet, she shoved the fears of failures aside. She clicked on her intercom to shut down the communication device. "I'll take the consequences."

Marcus searched her face for some seconds, looking for any doubts or indications that she was bluffing. But when he seemed to have not found what his doubts were voicing, he inhaled deeply and slowly nodded. "Here goes."


	23. Chapter 19: Forsaken

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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_****____**Additional N : **____There had been a little error concerning time in the second part of the previous chapter ('Those Who Defy') which I have corrected. And also, starting from the previous chapter, some events might take place all at once, though they will be written in different Point of Views. Pay attention to the date/time for more information**.**_

_**A/N - 17th February 2013 : **It is quite saddening to see that this fanfiction is going to end soon. I really enjoy my time in writing 'Memories of Brighter Days', and totally amazed by how it has come this far. Thank you for Reading! __I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I do in writing it!_

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_Final Act - Part 2  
_

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**Chapter 19**

**Forsaken**

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14 – 09 – 2075 / 17:58:49

"Here goes."

Marcus tapped a button on the device, and soon after he had done so, Alisa's ear buzzed with statics. Everyone else in the room seemed to have also felt the sting that they all removed their earpiece at once. She knew she had to face an angry Hibari later, if she survived this night, and bet on the chance that detention was the lightest possible punishment for her actions. Cutting all contacts with the Den in a mission was unheard of, after all.

Some seconds passed in silence as the Den Dwellers waited for the prototypes' reactions. Then finally, one prototype's arms fell limp on its sides, and the others were soon to follow—either by falling motionlessly to the ground, or simply by going stiff as they went statue-like. The Gods Eaters cheered at this.

But Alisa could not enjoy the brief moment of victory just yet. "The transmission has been disabled," she said to Marcus, "so it'd mean that the controllers must be nearby, right?"

"It should be," he said. "When I jammed the signal, I caught a glimpse of the waves in the reading before the jammer cut them off."

"Do you know where they were from?"

He looked doubtful. "I'm not perfectly sure... But it seemed like they came from below."

Alisa's mind was frantically running on speculations and thoughts. There were too many underground passages and bunkers located beneath their feet, some had already been closed off due Aragami invasion, while some had been secured by Fenrir due to the last incident where they had been used by—

That was it. "Aegis," she said in a murmur. Marcus snapped upon hearing the name of the secluded island and quirked his eyebrows. "Aegis," she repeated, firmer now. "They must be using the underground passageway that connects this branch to Aegis. The passageway that we once have used to infiltrate the island when the Ark Project was about to enter its final stage."

"How come are you so sure? There are many so passageways other than that one."

Going to one designated place was risky, she knew, but this time, she didn't have doubts clouding her judgement. "They _are _there, I know. Do you remember what site the Black Cloaks have infiltrated?" She didn't wait for an answer. "The island. They were not simply on a scouting mission, I believe."

"Predictions." He shook his head. "Worse: instincts."

She bit back a rueful smile. "Lately, almost all of my actions are based on those two I can't even tell the difference."

Anette said, "Then we'll be right behind you." At Alisa's concerned expression, the blonde shrugged as if were to say that it was the most obvious thing to do. "If you plan to storm into their lair, then you'll need all the help you can get. Am I right or right?"

_You could be dead, _she had wanted to reply, but the determination in Anette's eyes silenced her, and she realized that death was all they had been facing in their years as Gods Eaters. And to willingly volunteer to come into the enemy's lair so casually like that... How she envied her junior's simplicity. "All right, but be careful."

They set off on a jog towards an elevator, with Anette and her team following closely behind. The elevator was still working, thankfully, but they were greeted only by looming darkness once it had arrived on the lowest floor. Everyone got out very carefully, taking their time to adjust their eyes to the darkness, listening for any sounds in the eerie silence. Alisa was familiar with the place: this was the route she and her teammates had used to follow after Ray, who had chosen to take the burden of slaying down their former leader all by himself at that time, into Aegis. She had wondered what he must've been thinking back then; what worries and fears he must've battled as he went through the passageway alone... But it was not a lingering question anymore. She understood the feeling with each step she'd taken. The fear. The burden.

The trepidation in facing an uncertain future.

For whatever it was worth, they could be dead by any minute now. If she survived, there was no guarantee that he would too... Funny, she thought, how people like her could cling on a small, flickering hope of being able to live a life she knew she had not been created to enjoy. Meeting Ray and the others was a gift. Now after he had been taken away from her and returned alive, how could she still ask for more? Was it selfishness to hope that they would be able to survive this madness? Or was she simply casting a blind eye to the world?

They continued to walk cautiously for what seemed to be a long five minutes until they stopped at the broken of gates leading to Aegis' underground chambers. One of the Gods Eaters examined it and said, "It seemed that the damage was done quite recently. I was sent to guard a group of engineers to fix this place after the Ark Project, and no Aragami has been found lurking around here."

"It must be them," Anette said. "Do you know what lies ahead?"

"Corridors," said Marcus. "They lead to different places beneath the island."

"Which one to take, then?" asked a unit member.

"Whichever that you think would lead to a place where they may observe everything unseen," supplied Marcus. At the expectant gazes from everyone, he threw up his hands. "I'm not really familiar with the site. Only Gods Eaters and engineers are sent here regularly, after all."

Alisa thought, recalling past memories to draw a mental map of the area. A place where they could observe everything... A place where they could hack into their system and even gain control of the God Arc Prototypes...

"The control room?" Anette suggested. "Seems pretty logical, I think."

"No," dismissed Alisa. She remembered the time when she'd met Ray for the second time after the Black Cloaks' infiltration, and how he had been researching, and possibly stealing all the data stored in the mother computer. Further, there was a high possibility that they had already got their hands on NORN. If they had gotten what they needed from Aegis' database, then the only possible place where they would station themselves was, "The Chamber of Nova."

Everyone looked bewildered at her suggestion, but Marcus recovered quickly, then nodded as realization dawned on him. He said, "It was the place where the late Director had secretly nurtured Nova—a place full of what was left of his works; a place full of undeveloped bias factor and broken cores." His eyes darted to Alisa. "If your theory of them being in need of those materials is put into consideration, then the place fits the criteria."

A clicking sound, so faint it was almost unable to be heard in the midst of rumbling gears and machinery supporting the island, alerted the group a second too late.

Everyone's faces turned grim, and before they could alarm each other, Alisa jumped to push Marcus aside. "Wha—?!"

Dragging the middle-aged man off his feet, she rolled to her side to avoid the explosion, all the while opening her shield in the last moment to defend them from falling debrises. The sound was too deafening, and only some seconds later she realized that the bomb had been placed right above their heads. Amidst the swirling dust, she hoarsely called out to her comrades.

Anette was the first to respond with some coughs. "'M' alrite. Guys? Still alive?"

Weak replies were coming one by one; no one was severly injured, thanks to their enhanced reflexes, though some were suffering from small cuts and were momentarily paralyzed. "Think we've been spotted?" asked Anette as she shook the dust off her uniform.

It was Marcus who replied. "We have. Right from the moment we came down here." Then he stood up and produced a small communication device from his pocket. He pressed a button, saying, "Seize them," which soon triggered another explosion.

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xx - 0 - xx

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14 – 09 – 2075 / 17:58:49

In one movement Ray had freed his blade from Cain's and shot down the nearest foe, while, before the others had a chance to react, the blond guy with a black armlet had disarmed a short blader with a flick of his God Arc. Ray caught a glimpse of him from the corner of his eye, noting his speed and precision as he dashed, swung and defended. Some agility and skills, he got there, but, "It's useless," Ray finally said as he jumped into a higher platform to snipe those who were within his range of shooting.

The blond did a manuver to overturn another combatant and swung his God Arc to toss his foe's weapon off his hands. He squinted at Ray. "What's useless?"

"Your way of fighting." He sniped down a foe several feet across the broken gates, and was about to aim at another one when Cain launched a charge attack with his lance. The thrust was so powerful that eventhough the head of the lance missed Ray by some inches he could still feel sharp wind cutting his right cheek lightly.

Cain was not going to let him go: he spun around, made another swing, and attempted another charge attack. "It's not nice to ignore your adversary in combat, Max," he said in a hiss. Another swing, and Ray was forced to parry instead of dodging. Cain was fast, and given his reddening orbs, Ray knew that he had just been injected by the new Bias Factor.

"If you want to take them down," he said without looking at the blond, "aim for their heads and hearts at the same time."

Ray could sense his hesitation even without facing him. Gods Eaters, after all, were not designed to combat human beings, much less so in putting an end to them since the only occassion when they were required to do so was when a fellow Gods Eater was corrupted by Aragami mutation. Needless to say, no one would willingly oblige to such a brutal order from a stranger. "If you don't trust me then see it with your own eyes," he added.

Some of the disarmed combatants were now fighting bare-handedly against the allied forces; with their eyes gleaming brightly in an inhumane way, their breaths quickening and their stances mimicking those of beasts whose implanted DNA they carried in their blood. Their way of fighting had turned from reckless into gruesome. More Gods Eaters were felled down by each passing minute, and in reponse to the horrifying turn of events, panick had seized those who still remained standing on their feet. One of those who were still able to fight shot the blond guy a warning look. It was a girl with silver hair tied in pigtails.

Sharply inhaling, the leader of BLOOD furrowed his brow, and glanced up to Ray as if to threathen him should he was messing with them. But when Ray simply shoved if off and went back to engage Cain in close-combat, he said to his men, "Do as he says."

Various reactions could be seen immediately from the faces of his comrades: some were nodding grimly, perhaps already prepared for the worse after seeing their foes in mid-Aragami mutation; some were showing more disgust than reluctance; while some others simply stared in daze at their beastly foes.

At the very same time the Gods Eaters had rearranged their formation, Cain had distanced himself from Ray and held his lance firm behind his back, charging the weapon into its maximal power output. Ray did not stand around waiting for it to be released, though. Making a dash, he interrupted the process by bashing his blade onto the lancer. "Give it up," Ray said. "You'll never win with that kind of speed."

Snarling, the lancer replied, "You're the one who should be giving up soon. Can't you see how desperate your friends are?"

Ray scoffed. True, the Den Dwellers may have made a hasty decision to shut down the main electricity in favour of disarming their enemies' off their communication line, but in doing so, he'd noticed that some of the designated area he and Larg had been assigned to attack had yet to be bombarded from within. It would only mean that they had successfully confused those who had been planted within the fortress.

It was not going to be long, he thought. In a matter of minutes those whitecoats would soon find a way to get to the main labs while the Gods Eaters still had to deal with the Aragami lurking around the perimeter. Should Alisa fail to get to their head before that happened, then all the Far East Branch had risked for would all be in vain.

There was no time for playing around anymore. He should get rid of Karen and Cain as soon as possible and join the others who had marched underground in search for the head of this operation.

He made a gamble. "Hey," he called out to the blond. "Order your men to lure these guys away from the gates."

"What do you propose?" he asked.

"You'll never be able to defeat them as long as those two"—he paused to point at the hooded woman and the lancer with the tip of his blade—"are roaming freely. Separate them from the mindless ones. Corner them with only your best fighters."

The blond seemed to understand his point for he gave a nod and relayed the plan to his squad. "Ciel, Gilbert," he called out to the silver-haired girl and a tall guy equipped with a spear, "we'll surround that woman."

Ray jumped down and ran to assist the three, but again, before he could snipe at Karen, Cain was on him. "You're not going anywhere, Max," he said as he blocked his path, a sneer in his voice. "I'll be your playmate."

"So be it."

Blows after blows were delivered, their blades meeting and parting before managing to land a critical hit at one another, but even so, Cain was losing his ground. His taunts fell onto deaf ears and, making advantage of his superior speed, Ray feinted to his right and slashed at his arm. Cain snarled in fury as he swallowed the pain. Then he lunged forward again, with greater ferocity this time, and managed to wound Ray's shoulder with a swing of his lance.

His movements got sharper; his speed was increasing. It was clear that he was allowing the oracle cells to gain control over his body. And soon, his mind. "You're insane," said Ray as he retreated into defense.

"What if I am?"

"There's no point in sacrificing yourself in this—"

"Since I'm just a pawn?" he cut him off with a sharp thrust which ended in another scratch on Ray's left arm.

Cain was gaining speed. This was the same when Ray was fighting a half-mutating Larg; the longer the fight went on, the slimmer his chance to survive was going to be. He had to end it fast. Ray leapt back and sniped at him again, frequently distancing himself from his adversary since a he knew he wouldn't be able to match Cain's speed in a close combat.

"There's no point in fighting for their cause, you wanted to say, huh," spat Cain as he dodged and thrust. "Too bad it's more personal than you think it is."

"What do you hope for?"

"Hope?" he barked a short laughter colored with disbelief. "There's no such thing as hope. I'm merely doing what I _know _I should be doing." The end of his mouth curved up to form a sardonic smile. "This world is without order. And what way to fix it rather than to use what the gods have granted us?"

Ray tried to loosen his grip, letting his blood be boiled by the intensity of their fight, and along with it, opening his mind's barrier to the chained beast hiding deep inside. His head started to throb. His body was beginning to ache as though he had just been injected by acid—the kind of sensation he usually felt after receiving a Link Burst, though the pain lasted _far_ longer. Consciously trigerring the mutation bore great risks, but if Larg and Cain could endure it while maintaining their human consciousness, than he had no other options but to do the same if he wanted to stay alive.

Focusing his attention solely on Cain while blocking the pain stabbing his body, Ray dodged every attack, hoping that he'd be able to buy time until either Cain made an opening, or until his partial mutation had reached a certain level until it would give him the speed and strength to assault back. "You're betting on chances," he said. "Aragami is nothing but gods' anger manifested. Favouring those monsters over humans is idiocy."

"Humans are corrupted," Cain hissed back. "They are arrogant; selfish; and despicably weak. The only way that humans could survive is to merge with the Aragami."

_A little bit more_, Ray thought when he felt his muscles burning. The scent of blood was overwhelming him; being in the middle of a ground where corpses lay dead everywhere was already a bad start. _Resist it. _He couldn't give in just yet. He couldn't let his instincts drive him mad again.

Ray's mind returned to the afternoon when his body had betrayed his mind in scream for the new Bias Factor, and how a miracle—if there was one in a world like this—had happened through his Resonance with Alisa. The memories pierced through the choruses of his beastly desires. He remembered how her arms had tightened around him, holding him against the mad beast; and how the scent of her had gradually swept his lust of blood away.

_Rise above it._

Still, Cain was faster than he currently was, for blood from Ray's injuries had begun to wet his clothes and drip from his coat, reminding him that although his brain was barely registering the pain, he was still a mortal. One deadly attack could still kill him. "Do you view them as weaklings that much?" he shot back at Cain as he parried and countered his blows.

"A question not worthy of an anomaly like you."

His heart dropped at this. Did he just imply that he knew—

"What, you think I wouldn't know your little secret?" Cain taunted, grinning. "Why do you think I was not in the team when you assaulted Aegis back then? 'Cause I wasn't needed as an infiltrator." His eyes glinted, which made them look almost golden in the setting sun, and he continued by saying: "I was sent as your shadow. I have always been, and will always be. Until you die, that is." He smirked. "Which won't be a long wait."

"They told you."

"They did. To make sure that you aren't going to turn your blade against us—or to be more precise, to make sure you are going to die a second death right after you do."

Cain came forward, sensing Ray's momentarily distracted mind perhaps, and slashed with his lance, then as Ray was forced to bend low to dodge, he lashed the opposite end of his weapon in a vertical swing. The move met its mark. Ray winced, feeling the wound on his shoulder but not daring to inspect it. He couldn't take his eyes from Cain's lance for even a second, dreadful that he was going to suffer a greater wound from another error. Cain, on the other hand, was smiling. A smile that told Ray that there was no room for hesitation anymore—he would kill him, and only by killing could this battle be brought to an end.

Ray concentrated as he stepped to his side to feign an attack. This was it. The cells within him had been slowly mutating along with the beast's DNA, and now, they had reached the point that allowed him to access its prowess. He would only use it for one attack. A killing blow. Letting the mutation to continue was not an option, so he could only pray that he'd be able to press it back after the split-second attack.

And there was one careless move he had been hoping for. Cain was so focused on hitting Ray's vital organs in his attacks that the moment Ray backed away to avoid a sharp swipe, his stance was broken. Ray used this opportunity to land a hit on his back. Steel met flesh. Cain let out an agonized cry as he lunged a second too late to dodge Ray's blade.

The attack was not deep enough to kill him, and the wound was going to close given his enhanced recovery power, but the former Gods Eater didn't let him buy the time. He dashed at Cain, his sword at the ready—

—It penetrated through Cain's body.

The blade had gone all the way through his chest that the end was potruding from his back—the very same way it had done to Larg. Ray's eyes widened in disbelief at the success of his plan. Contrary to his speculation, Cain had spun around to meet his blade head on, welcoming the attack with open arms.

Now, the lancer was coughing blood while one hand was gripping tight on Ray's wrist. "Now, you can't run anymore," he said.

It was a trap; Cain had been a bait.

A bait all along.

Ray was about to break free from him when he felt a sharp pain went through him. A sword had stabbed him, the blade emerging from his front. He slowly turned his head to see over his shoulder, only to realize that Karen was behind him; her body bloodied from ignoring the bullets of the three Blood members who were several feet away from them; her eyes betraying the emotions she'd learned to suppress. Very slowly, she released the her grip on her short sword and staggered back, murmuring a very faint 'I'm sorry' as tears sluiced down her cheeks.


	24. Chapter 20: En Passant

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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_**A/N - 2nd March 2013 : **__It's going to end soon. I can't believe I've made it this far... _Thank you so much for reading, faving, following and reviewing 'Memories of Brighter Days'! I'm trying to reply to all your Reviews and truly am happy to have you supporting me!

_(There will be a surprise waiting at the end of the last chapter, but I'm sure you've figured out what it's going to be)._

**_Additional N : _**_For those who also follow my 5D's fanfiction, please **check my Profile**. There is an important announcement posted there._

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_Final Act - Part 3_

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**Chapter 20**

**En Passant**

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14 – 09 – 2075 / 18:23:09

Blood was wetting his shirt and coat, the ground beneath him was turning color from brown to dark red. Cain collapsed first, falling backwards and produced a gurgling sound as life faded from his eyes. Behind him, Ray could sense Karen dropping to her knees, then to the ground, laying motionlessly in her own pool of blood.

It would soon be him who was laying out cold together with the dead bodies.

For a second he could sense nothing, only the faintest sound of people shouting and steel clashing telling him that he had not lost all of his senses yet. His hand moved to the blade potruding from his front, bloodied fingers tracing it lightly as he fought down the ache that had began to spread out all over his body. The cell mutation did not stop, the beast within him was so determined to prevent his host from dying. By the gods, it just didn't know when to quit, did it? He coughed some blood, then fell to one knee while still trying to recollect his mind.

A pair of hands steadied him by the shoulder, and barely, he could hear a voice saying, "Get a grip."

His head was feeling lighter and lighter, and in that moment, he almost dismissed the words and let his eyes flutter shut. Damn mutation. So persistent to invade his mind by numbling his senses—all for the sake of keeping him _alive_.

Again, the same voice spoke to him. "Hey—say something."

With some difficulty, Ray glanced at the person kneeling beside him. It was the blond guy. _Think. _He blinked very slowly, trying to drive the fog in his mind away by squinting at the setting sun. His vision consisted only of smeared orange, pale yellow and dissorted shapes.

_Think._

Words were flying in his head but nothing came to his tongue.

_Speak._

"Pull..." The next word died unspoken. Somebody must have forced him to gulp on some mud before the battle, he could swear.

No matter how bad was his vision was getting, Ray could still sense the blond's eyes narrowed in response. "What?"

"Pull... it... off," he said in a hoarse voice that sounded foreign to his own ears as he made a head gesture at the blade. It had missed his heart by a mere inch and he felt no physical pain, but he knew that if he wanted to stay alive _while _keeping his mind to himself, he had to stop the mutated oracle cells from deceiving his body into a vegetative state. Clearing his throat, he said it again, clearer and a little louder this time. "Pull it off. 'M not gonna die..."

The blond looked past him, to another person who was holding his left arm. When his eyes returned to meet Ray's, the light blue orbs were giving away his reluctance. "You wont't be able to whistand it." It was a statement, not a question. Anyone with a functioning brain and some field experience as a soldier would object to Ray's idea. Obviously. But he was not a Gods Eater nor some wounded soldier.

Ray gritted his teeth, fighting the drowiness clouding his thoughts. "Just do it. I won't die... I'll do something."

"Fine," the blond said after some seconds of consideration. He straightened Ray without moving him from his position, and released his arm to reach for the sword's grip at the back of his body. Ray felt the movement and snarled. Good. He was gaining consciousness. Pain would be preferred over losing his mind to mutating cells rebelling against the restraints he'd spent months to construct down in the lab. The blond's grip on the sword tightened. "Ready?"

Ray nodded.

The blond pulled the sword.

He resisted the burning pain on his chest, desperately _not _trying to shut the pain—letting it to conquer his whole being instead. A growl at first, it quickly evolved into a muted scream. Centimeter by centimeter, the blade was being drawn off from his body, and by the time the tip of the blade had dissapeared into his flesh, Ray almost thrashed wildy if not for a firm grip from one of the blond's men. His lungs felt as if burning, his whole body screaming against the pain, but he tried to ignore it. If he gave in into their mad choruses, he'd lost. Not only just his body, but his mind and memories as well. The oracle cells were reacting strongly against his thoughts, and now they were budging from inside as if forcing him to succumb into their control.

Seconds felt like hours, and by the time the blond had informed him that the process was almost done, he had almost lost all the strength to even keep his feet steady. A familiar pain. The blade exited his body, and immediately the mutated cells within him worked their hardest to seal the wound. It was a sickening feeling—this instaneous healing process was. If he could choose, he would prefer going through a normal healing process and enduring the pain for days rather than _this_. Nothing pleasant ever follow what people labelled as 'instaneous' in the first place.

"The hell," said a new, gruffy voice. "It's closing." It came from the person who had been keeping him from snapping out of control.

Ray stayed still for a moment, feeling his chest rise and fall by each breath that he took, staying still to let his system repair the broken tissue. Once it wore off, he breathed deeply and rose to his feet, still feeling a bit dizzy and light from the bloodloss but managed to stand without faltering. He looked at Cain who was laying flat on the ground some paces away from him.

Before he could get near the lancer, a hand gripped his arm. A clicking sound indicated that a gun was being pointed straight at him. "What are your intentions?" asked the blond.

"I wish for nothing," he said. He was aware that many eyes were turned on him, that his strategy of separating Cain and Karen from the mindless soldiers had been a success, and that he was now the remaining Gods Eaters' new target.

"Then why did you switch side?" the blond pressed.

"If I answered, would my words get through you?"

The blond snorted. "They wouldn't."

"Then what I do should be enough."

It was the end of their dispute. This guy was a leader, and no man was elected leader simply because of his fighting capabilities. If he were in the captain's position, he too would not listen to any random reasons a defect might come up with. He doubted stating the truth would be sufficent either.

"Captain? Your order, sir?" asked a feminine voice behind him.

A contemplative silence. Then, "Lower your gun, Ciel." He did not let go of Ray's arm. To him, he said, "We will observe your actions until this mess is cleared up. Show a tiny sign of betrayal against us and you'll die."

Ray offered a curt nod as a sign that he understandood the threat. They may not be able to take him down, and he was sure the captain also knew of that fact after witnessing how he could fight without losing a great deal of energy and how fast he could heal, but at least they could injure him to the poin that he would faint due to bloodloss or broken limbs. Fighting a large group of trained Gods Eaters was not the same as infiltrating a guarded fortress.

The captain finally let go of his arm, and he Ray walked over to where Cain was laying, aware of dozens of watchful eyes that were glued to his back; their weapons at the ready. He bent on one knee very slowly and stared at Cain's pale face, which for once, was serene and peaceful.

They may have not formed a friendship deeper than what most comrades in arms usually share, but still, they had gone through a lot as survivors to the horrors of being kept as lab rats. At the very least of their shared bond, it was based on envy. He envied Cain for being able to direct his emotions to someone—or something, and for being able to live as himself eventhough the lancer too had lost much in his short life. In the end, he had sacrificed himself to seize the future he so craved for: a future where humans, just as he'd believed himself to fall under the category, could rise over their doomed existence.

He closed Cain's eyes, then his hand slid to the coat and found what he sought: two syringes of the new bias factor. A dead man would not need these anymore, wouldn't they? "Consider this my lifeline," he said to his watchers as he held up his hand to let them see what he'd taken.

His feet picked up a faint tremor, and though it was muffled, he could hear the faintest sound of _two _bombs being activated in a row. It came from below—from the passageways, he suspected.

It must be Alisa. She must've reached a place where _he _and Larg should be guarding. A task long abandoned now.

Behind him, the trio of BLOOD members exchanged glances, their faces grim. They too must have noticed the slight tremor.

Ray said, "I assume that we all have more important matters at hand?"

The blond looked to the girl with pigtails and nodded once, then he left to gather his men. Without anything more to say, Ray turned around and strode away into the Den, ignoring the girl who had just been assigned to keep an eye on him. "Where are you going?" she asked as she kept her pace with him, one hand on her God Arc, while the other was holding firmly to her gun.

"Underground," he replied without looking back at her. "There's a secret route to reach Aegis down there."

"To do what, exactly?"

He glanced back over his shoulder and stared at the girl. "Why, to say hello to those who dwell below, of course."

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xx - 0 - xx

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14 – 09 – 2075 / 18:33:41

Alisa deployed her shield over her head, enhanced reflexes taking action against the unexpected _second _explosion. She was forced down to her knees as large piles of metal and broken pipes fell onto her. There was simply no room to evade, and most of her fellow Gods Eaters had also been forced to rely on their shields. She did not wait to be shot again and so, quickly got to her feet before their enemies could begin their barrage.

As she'd expected, several cloaked men were already waiting for the stunned Gods Eaters to emerge from the thick spiral of dust, their guns at level with their targets. "Watch out!" She tried to alarm those who were still struggling to stand, but it was a little too late; bullets and missiles wooshed past her the moment she opened her mouth to alert her comrades.

Some of them reacted fast enough to defend themselves, but some others did not. Pained cries echoed in the dark passageway. Alisa ducked low to shield herself better from the bullets, then, when the split-second interval she had been waiting finally came, she bolted right at them in a dash. Her blade met the steel of a God Arc belonging to a cloaked man who stood nearest to her, then meeting his flesh. The surprise attack worked. The cloaked combatants leapt away from her, momentarily distracted, trying to distance themselves to shoot at her again.

Being a New-Type Gods Eater who focused more on long-ranged attacks, she was familiar with their maneuver and unleashed a quick thrust. Another one fell. She didn't dare to look; didn't dare to ackonowledge that these guys too were _humans_. She knew she would break if she looked, so she kept her head up and her eyes level with the rest of the cloaked men.

"Stop."

Her blade stopped mere inches away from her opponent's neck. She peered over her shoulder.

"Stop," repeated Marcus. On his left hand was a device in size of a cell phone. A detonator. "You'll do as I say or another bomb will blow away your friends back at the Den." Alisa stood still, not daring to move an inch. This man was not the type to bluff, given what he had done earlier. "Drop your weapons," he said. That was not a request.

Reluctantly, the Gods Eaters let go of their God Arcs. They clanged against the metal floor, and she could practically hear their comrades snarling in disgust. She too bit back a curse that had almost escaped her lips. Marcus made a gesture with another hand to the cloaked men. "Tie them up."

They quickly obeyed without a word. One of them secured Alisa's hands behind her back with a handcuff, the cold steel felt as if it was digging into her flesh. Whatever material they had used to make these, they were specifically designed to restraint even the slightest movement. These were not of normal metal, too.

"Traitor." Alisa heard her fellow Gods Eater muttered.

Marcus shook his head, his expression unchanging. "There are steps needed to be taken in order to achieve a greater good," he said in a flat tone as if explaining to a group of children why Santa Claus couldn't possibly exist. "What may seem corrupted now is not necessarily the same in the future we are about to forge. Sometimes, there are things worth risking to achieve the impossible. History books should've taught you that."

Annette hissed at a fellow member who was about to jump at Marcus. "Stay down or we all die."

"You are going to the Chamber, correct?" he said. "Let us have the pleasure to escort you, then." Marcus turned around and motioned for the cloaked men to follow, with Gods Eaters taken captives.

Alisa's heart started to hammer against her chest and she felt on edge. Things were just turning from bad to worse. They were soon going to be experimented on. She had enough dreadful experience of being trapped in a pod with needles going in and out her body in a constant rythm—not to mention that she also _had _shared Ray's memories through her Resonance with him. The involuntary reminiscence sent chills through her body. She had barely escaped insanity, and honestly didn't know if she could survive another trial.

They walked past some empty hallways and through a series of staricases—no elevators were functioning in this place. The long tunnel was followed by bewildering twists in opposing directions, and they kept walking until they reached the Chamber which was located at the lowest floor of the island. The air was colder down there, and Alisa could hear the faint rumbling of machines from behind the massive metal door.

Small, constant sounds of monitors beeping and light footsteps scurrying around the room greeted their entrance. The place was bigger than she had remembered—Nova's absence made _any_ room looked bigger—with bluish artificial light flickering in the distance. If anything, the Chamber resembled more like a large bunker than a lair. She had heard of Ray's sidejob to collect certain materials when he had been still under Fenrir, and tried not to imagine what kind of procedures the former Director had gone through to nurture a cannibalistic creature as big as Nova.

Marcus stopped at the door and reached for his pocket, producing a communication device. "Open the door. I bring the Gods Eaters with me."

The metal door swung opened with a screeching sound that made Alisa grit her teeth. How long had the place been abandoned since the Nova incident?

"We meet again," said Alisa in a voice that she hoped had clearly shown her resentment.

In the looming darkness, a figure clapped his hands. The same white-coat from a few hours back, she knew. "Messenger," he greeted, sounded half annoyed half amused. The man stepped into what the dim light could manage to prevent total darkness from ruling over the place. He adjusted his glasses as he studied the group before him. "It seems you never learn, do you? How many times do you want to try until you give up?"

She ignored her comrades' bewildered stares and said, "As many time as it may take."

"You've figured out our plans, then."

She realized that narrowing her eyes in the darkened place was not a gesture a man without enhanced senses could notice, but she didn't stop herself from voicing her irritation anyway. "Your idea of evolution is rubbish."

"I prefer the word 'idealistic,'" he replied as he waved a hand in a dismissive way. "Marcus," he turned to the scientist, acknowledging his presence with the slighest of nods, "I see you weren't lying when you said that Gods Eaters are no thinkers."

The corner of Marcus' lips lifted up into a humourless smile but his expression remained guarded. "We've reached an agreement, Edric. You're going to let me run the test."

The white coated man returned the smile, steel creeping into his eyes. "Greedy, aren't you? Impatience is not bad for your health, you know."

"They are the very breed of research tens of years old," Marcus began. "You know how hard it is to find compatible ones. These... puppets," he glanced sideways at blank-faced God Arc wielders standing on guard, "are proofs enough."

The man called Edric remained silent, his face leaking only a tingle of amusement mingled with pride. "By all means, they were not of my designs," he finally said in his defense. "_Mine _is simply about to emerge into existence, thanks to your effort in bringing _so _many specimens here."

Alisa shut her eyes and clenched her fists, feeling already sickened by their talk. Gods, they were talking about human specimens as if _they _were not here! Was this how they treated Ray all along? If so, then it was no wonder he despised them. It took more than injections and sedatives to change someone so gentle into a begrudging soul who knew no compassion.

"...And I assume that I will get my hands on my messenger?"

Those words snapped Alisa off her mind. Horror, hatred and irritation were bubbling insider her. The muted God Arc wielders around them began to steer her colleagues to different directions, probably to tanks or pods scattered around the area. Some of the Gods Eaters were trying to break free in the process, but they only received silencing blows from their escorts. When the two men who were supposed to move her closed in, she spat to the scientist, "And what makes you think I would be willing to surrender?"

Edric raised his eyebrows while giving a hand signal for the men to hold still, looking as if he was enjoying himself. "Oh? I thought it was clear from our last meeting that I do not need your permission to do as I please. And aren't you ought to be grateful? You will, after all, be the first successful enhanced human on earth. More than what Gods Eaters could ever be."

No if she could help with. Maybe resistance was going to be futile since she didn't have her God Arc with her at the moment, but at least she could try her best to inflict some damage here and there before being finally thrown into a tank or chained to a table.

"You sound very confident that I would be a success," she retorted, keeping her tone flat. "If my memories serve me right, I only felt _weakened _and _nauseated _after all those injections. Wasn't your research supposed to make me _stronger_? Or did I misinterpret the word 'enhanced'?" Sarcasm was no longer her tool of choice anymore but she didn't feel the need to discard it completely just yet. The tool may be rusty, but rusty blades were what she needed on occassions like these.

Edric shook his head in glee. "That was all part of the process, dear messenger. You just didn't wait long enough. I must admit that _his _choice to defect at that vey time was a bit surprising—more so his choice to set you free before going upstage."

Ray could have abandoned her to save more lives on the upper ground. Risking time to free a single captive while a whole base was being assaulted was beyond illogical. Alisa bit her tongue to keep her emotions from dictating her words and actions. She wouldn't waste it. She wouldn't waste the life she'd been granted to have back by willingly giving it away to such a mad beast.

"We have a sample, you see," he continued, practically ignoring all the daggers in her glare. "The basic principle of conducting a research is always to have the hypothesis tested first before going to the next round to implement one's findings to score the real deal. In my case... Well, it was too bad that he only shared it partially."

'He'...? By 'he' did the white-coat mean Ray? "What do you mean? What's he got to do with this?" Didn't he just say that she would be his _first _success?

"Ah, this is why I didn't bother to present my thesis to Fenrir." Edric clicked his tongue. "I've had enough of your foolishness. Your former leader was my first test subject, but he was not what I would consider a success."

Alisa felt her heart sank as she waited for his next words, hoping that her hunches were proven untrue. But Edric picked up the understanding in her eyes and said, "See? You can be smart if you put your head into it. That's right, we may have succeeded in carrying out _A-deen _Project, but not entirely. All because his DNA didn't really accept the mutated cells as we've had hoped." He paused for the sake of the dramatics. "All because he was only _sharing _yours. Partially."

She was frozen for a moment, unthinking, blank, trying to reject this new comprehension. _Her blood_. She had given her blood to Ray prior to his 'death'. Was that... But that couldn't be... "You're lying," she said in a murmur that failed to convince her own ears.

Edric chuckled at the horror and denial that must have colored her face. "Silly girl. Haven't you realized it? I wonder if even Fenrir know this much. They intend to miss the bigger picture and stick to a small part; prefering to dig into what's clear to naked eyes. Just look at you. You're only a New-Type Gods Eater in their hands, but in mine, you will be something more... marvelous," he said, his voice low and full of wonder. He emphasized his last word as though he'd found no better word to underline the greatness of his designs. "Can't you see what you are? Can't you see how blind Fenrir has been all along? You are a wasted material in their hands!"

"Wasted or not, I'd prefer to stay as I am rather than mutating into some monster of your creation. Staying human is my priority at the moment, thank you."

"Ah, worry not. You won't end up like those," he said as he made a hand gesture to the armed men, then he lifted his thumb upward, "or like _them_. You won't even need the bias factor, old or new, to keep your mind to yourself. Your cells will be able to reproduce it on a daily basis on their own, supplying you with unlimited amount of bias factor. No longer you shall rely on those needles and syringes."

"And that is your idea of salvation?" She twitched one end of her mouth. "How petty. I thought you have better plans in store."

"Ah-ah. Prejudices again. You can think or say whatever you want about it, but surely you know that this is far more acceptable compared to your late director's scheme?" He was referring to Director Schicksal's Ark Project. A project which she and her comrades had risked their lives to thwart. "He planned to play god," he reminded. "Selecting a few people of his choice and trigger _the _apocalypse? Surely my logic is more acceptable than his. There will be no discrimination in this project, I assure you."

'Though not everyone's DNA would be compatible' was what he didn't audibly add. She cringed. How she loathed this sickening game. Sacrifices, chosen ones, selected few... Had everyone gone mad? What was the worth in building a new world if she should lose people she held dear?

"Everything's ready," said Marcus, ending their talk. Having done with whatever preparations he needed to be done beforehand, he strode to Alisa's side and gestured to the blank-faced men standing behind her to steer her away. To Edric he said, "It will be my turn first."

The younger scientist shrugged. "As we have agreed. Be careful not infuse her with the new bias factor."

"I know what I'm doing," he said as he walked Alisa to a tank filled with clear blue liquid deep in the darkness.

Fear fluttered in her stomach. Not this again. Not the torture...

Marcus ascended through the stairs and was now standing on a higher platform where the tank was on level with it. The two men pushed her forward. "Relax," Marcus said in a soothing tone. "Being anxious won't get you anywhere. You'll know what to do once it starts."

Alisa, concealing her fears and her hands' trembling, stiffly stood where she was. No, she wouldn't. The memories of many needles being inserted all at once still brough back unpleasant feeling in her stomach—both from her own experience and Ray's. No matter how high their resistance to some substances and how fast their wounds heal, Gods Eaters were not immune to pain. Nor they would get used to it.

Marcus hit a button and the top of the tank clanked open. "Be ready," he said.

Alisa tried to control her breathing, took a reluctant step, and closed her eyes, waiting for the God Arc wielders to throw her into the prison once again.

Except that before it could happen, a gunshot echoed in the room.

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_**A/N : **One clue, the one who pulls the trigger at the end of this chapter is not Ray or any of the Gods Eaters. Guess who~_


	25. Chapter 21: Stained

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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_**A/N - 24th March 2013 : **I'm very sorry for the late update... College and organizations are making my life busier, and though I'm rather enjoying it, they sure limit my time to write.  
_

_I've been listening to Leona Lewis and Owl City a lot lately. They really inspire me to create more stories. _

_This chapter is entirely action. I hope you can enjoy this one._

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_Final Act - Part 4  
_

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**Chapter 21**

**Stained  
**

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14 – 09 – 2075 / 19:21:10

The sound was painfully clear in the vast room it almost made Alisa flinch at the volume. It was soon followed by a sharp cry of pain—the voice indicated that the bullet had hit Edric, who was still standing at the center of the room. She turned to see what had happened but the two mute God Arc wielders on the platform had moved past her to seize Marcus.

The middle-aged scientist stumbled, almost losing his footing as he evaded a blunt strike, and it was then Alisa realized that _he_ had been the one who had shot at Edric.

Things happened in mere seconds. She moved purely on instinct: knocking one God Arc wielder on her left off balance with her weight by jumping at him while Marcus was firing another shot at the second man. Rain of bullets came down from several feet above her head. Then chaos ensued.

Marcus grabbed Alisa's arm before she fell from the platform. He produced a small mechanical key from his pocket and freed her from her restraints. Alisa could hear Soma's barritone voice filling the room with orders as his fellow unit members landed on the ground. They had tracked them through the aqueduct some levels above, it seemed. Hibari must have coordinated the stealth mission using the transmitter planted in her armlet.

No time to talk. Marcus shot her a grim look as he pressed the gun and key into her hands, and without having any time to think, she nodded and jumped down.

"_You'll know what to do once it starts."_

So this was what he'd meant.

It had been an act all along, his betrayal. _This _was what he was aiming for.

What _they _were aiming for.

Alisa ran and shot down a foe as she made her way to where a wounded Edric was being guarded. The Gods Eaters who had been steered here by the enemies were practically unarmed, but it didn't stop them from resuming combat by using their elbows and feet to fight. Annette was the closest ally—and as Alisa'd expected, the blonde girl was in the middle of unleashing wild, brutal kicks at an enemy when Alisa ran to her.

Alisa aimed for the head without stopping, shot once, then lowered her gun to the man's chest and shot again. He fell dead.

"Geez, this thing is such a pain in the ass," Annette hissed as Alisa uncuffed her. The blonde looked at the fresh kill with disgust. "You have to shoot _twice _to kill them?"

"Someone told me so." Alisa darted her eyes across the place to search for Edric, and found that the man was being guarded by at least eight armed soldiers and was making his way to another side of the room—where another exit door was. He must be planning something if not merely escaping. "Free the others," she said to her junior as she tossed her the key.

"Gotcha."

Catching up with the fleeing group was something that was out of the question since she was still without a proper weapon, but she didn't stop her feet from moving. Soma and a few men from his team were combatting the guards covering the wounded scientist, but they were being outnumbered still. Too many soldiers had been stationed in the Chamber. They were going to need a good strategy to overcome this problem.

Alisa ducked low to dodge wheezing bullets, distracted for a split moment. Edric had exited the chamber, followed by what seemed to be a handful of soldiers and three Gods Eaters, and she noticed that they were taking the route leading to the upper ground. Which was bad. If her paranoia was true then this place must have been stuffed with explosives. Her team being ambushed on the way here should support that conjecture enough. If he got away from this floor, he'd be able to bury them alive with ease. Everything she'd risked for would be in vain.

Some of Edric's guards were now locked in fierce combat with their pursuers, but the rest were getting away. She increased her speed to catch up with them, firing the gun in hopes of slowing them down. Of course, it did not. One of the fleeing guards turned, deployed his shield, then lunged at her.

"Get down!" Soma barked. Alisa had very little time to think before the blade could hit her. She rolled to her right. Soma's serrated blade plunged into the attacker's body. "That guy's moving to the topsoil, you take another route and wait for them above!"

She caught the meaning: 'You retrieve your God Arc while I slow them down. Ambush them upstairs.'

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14 – 09 – 2075 / 19:29:26

There was something different about the air down here. It was as if someone had stilled them in place; it felt stagnant, with the stench of blood and gunpowder and bias factor assaulting his nostrils. There must have been a fight then. A recent one. The Gods Eaters must have reached Aegis.

Ray quickened his pace. Behind him, two BLOOD members led by the silver-haired girl called Ciel were adjusting their steps to keep up with him. "Were they ambushed?" asked the girl when they made a stop at a point where debrises and fallen pillars halt their advance.

"I think so," Ray replied absently with eyes roaming all over the area: spotting holes and cracks, looking for clues and connecting pieces of what he'd seen to trace back time. The metal floor was still intact, which would mean that—"The bombs must have been installed above," he pointed out. "On the piplines."

He strained his ears and caught a faint dangling sound of boots hitting metal, of gunfires and all the products of raging battle. It came from two distinct places though: above his head and below his feet. "I'll be going up," he said to his companions. At the indecision apparent from the girl's silence, he added, "Do whatever you think is necessary. Though if I had wanted to dispose of you, I could have just lured you deeper where the bombs are at the ready."

The girl assessed him mutely for five seconds before finally pulling her eyebrows together in a slight frown. She nodded at her two team member. They nodded and quickly made their way through the debrises to head deeper into the core of Aegis. She'd be the only one who was going to come with him then.

"Make haste, but stay low," Ray said, then leapt off onto a nearby pipeline.

Redrawing a mental map of the area while pulling out details of the place's structure, he climbed up with nimble steps, leaping from one footing to another; lithely landing and crouching catlike, breathing steadily and silently thanking God—if there was one—for he could finally be able to access the power stored in his blood without having to succumb into the mutated cells' demands for control. For how long, he wondered, this... _stability_ would last without proper supplies? He'd just injected himself with the new bias factor he had taken from Cain—and he could already feel his mind and body refreshed—but judging from the situation, he would be wearing himself out pretty soon enough.

He jumped to the next pipe and to the next, then came to a platform that led him to a series of staricases. He took them them in a run, scampering up quietly, only slowing when he reached the very top, where he stopped, listening to and sniffing at the air.

The sounds were getting louder now. Several feet above him was the Hall of Aegis, a vacant place big enough for a creature as big as Nova to roam around. Across from where he was, a group of people were fighting their way to the upper ground. He listened carefully, making out of the clanking sound of blades meeting shields, guns being fired, and a man's voice shouting orders in midrun.

The was all the information he sought for. He knew the voice all too well, had memorized it even in his vegetative state and dreamless nights, had it burned into his brain that he doubted that he would ever forget it should he lived for twenty more years. That was how _highly _he regarded the voice of the man who had brought him back to life. The voice of his supposed-to-be saviour.

Strange though, that he loathed it more than any Aragami's. If he could choose, he would be happier listening to a pack of Kongou lulling 'Silent Night' in his ears for weeks rather than listening to that cold, calculating voice reading statistic data or measuring doses for his daily injections.

Ray made a quick calculation. Judging from the dwindling footsteps, there shouldn't be too many foes going along with the head scientist, probably eight or nine armed men. He could take them out with the Gods Eaters' help, and plus, Edric should have nowhere to run. That was, if he didn't let him out of the fortress to board a copter. That man had to die, he decided, personal grudge or not. There were just too many risks in letting him running free—more so when he was still in possession of the switch to all the explosives hidden in this place.

Jaw set, Ray jumped to a higher ground, swung himself with his God Arc, and arrived in time to see Edric—a bleeding, anguish-faced Edric—emerged from the hallway. Several combatants were still circling him in a defensive position. Behind him was a chasing team of Gods Eaters that consisted of Soma and three other faces he didn't recognize. The scientist came into an abrupt stop at the sight of him, and Soma used that chance to engage his guards in a battle.

Ray stood between the man and the only way out of the Hall. Edric was the first to react.

His lips twisted into a crooked smile. "We've seen this coming," he said as his breathing steadied. One hand was clutching lightly onto his wounded shoulder, blood already smearing the white fabric of his coat. "Though we didn't expect you to be able to get rid of number two and three." Cain and Karen, he meant. Ray didn't reply. "I have underestimated you, it seems." He was taking a staggered step forward, his mouth a curl of distaste. "All sentimetal at the sight of your ruined home? What has Fenrir promised you that beats down a resurrection?"

"I do what I want. I owe nothing to Fenrir," Ray dismissed.

"And nothing to us?"

Ray could barely keep his voice even when he spoke. "A quick death, then. That should be sufficent." And without waiting for a respond, he lunged at him.

Edric was unmoving in his sight, a silent practice target whose face was as pale as a wall; an easy prey. But inches before his blade could separate his head from his body, it was blocked by a sturdy exterior of a shield. Several God Arc wielders had come into his defense; more were appearing from the hallway behind him. Ray leapt back to fix his stance grudgingly.

"You forgot that reinforcements are on the way," Edric said casually. "Don't worry, we can always move away from Aegis. We already have what we need, after all."

The cores and bias factor supply. Ray scowled. "Pretty confident, aren't you?"

"Of course I am." Feeling secure once again with the newly restored human barricade to shield him from harm, he fished a syringe out of his pocket. Inside the clear tube was a clear blue liquid Ray recognized all too well.

Ray tried to advance again, but the God Arc wielders surrounding Edric were firmly rooted to the ground, not giving away any holes for even a bullet to slip through. "The new bias factor is nothing but poison to human bodies," Ray hissed as he tried, and failed, to break through the tight line of defense.

"I know that much, kid," assured Edric with an easy smile. He rolled up his sleeve to his elbow. "But I never said that I was a 'normal' human in the first place." He held the hypodermic syringe upside down, looking at it with furrowed eyebrows, and tapped it twice. "You may be subject number one in our _A-Deen _Project, a new breed, but too bad we don't start up with number 'one'..." He trailed off, as is letting his words to sink into Ray. "Pleased to meet you, _little brother_. The nickname's Zero." With that, he injected the liquid into his bloodstream.

Ray, Ciel and all the gunners fired at Edric, but they were a second too late. Each of the bullet met shields. Soma grunted as he charged in, with Ray and other close combatants following close behind—only to be pressed back by Edric's puppets. This was not going anywhere—unless they could break through their solid wall.

"Hey," Ray called out to the tanned Buster Blader, "toss me."

Soma glowered at him, mouthing a word that started with 'F' before turning his back to the line of God Arc wielders. He bent a little to steady his position, then held his blade with the flat side turned upward. "I'll charge you for this," he growled a second before Ray could land a feet on his God Arc.

"Too bad Tsubaki holds my credit card." Ray had little time to balance himself before leaping off into the air. He rose faster and higher than he'd imagined thanks to Soma's incredible raw power. Adjusting himself in midair while filling his lungs in one intake of breath, he dived straight to his target—who was standing statue-like in the middle of the chaos. He struck.

His blade cleaved into the metal floor, empty of prey. Marcus had dodged it perfectly by sliding to his side. Ray almost hadn't reacted in time to retreat when his adversary suddenly threw himself at him—moving with an agility that should have belonged to a fully mutated Gods Eater. Ray brought his God Arc up to shield his body, not having time to deploy his shield—much less to take a step back to prepare for it. He was thrown several feet away by the impact of Edric's attack. His back met one of Aegis supporting pillars with a loud noise. Air was knocked out from his lungs.

"This is a bit harder than I thought," mused Edric aloud. He was walking leisurely toward him, his eyes gazing with both wonder and bewilderment at his own hands. Ray found it hard to believe that he had retained his human form; there were no signs of outward mutation; no visible changes at all. Had Edric's body reacted differently to the new bias factor? Or had the scientist received some special treatment he and the others had not?

Almost all of the Gods Eaters who had been busy combatting Edric's puppets were backing away now, rearranging their formation, horror and shock dancing in their eyes. They too must have seen what had happened and chose to make a more careful approach. The blank-faced God Arc wielders on the other hand, resumed their guard duty by standing still, sticking to the last order that had come from Edric: 'to defend.' They wouldn't attack unless provoked.

Ray could feel blood in his mouth. He spat it as he straightened up.

"I have never thought that self-control would be so hard to attain in this condition," continued Edric in a mutter. His steps were deliberate yet steady. He paused and gave Ray a questioning look. "How did you control this... this _primal _hunger? There must be some tricks, right?" Another step. "Something is not right with my taste buds, I think. Does the mutation have to do with this? Everything tastes foul—even the air. How come you never reported this to us?"

Edric was not being his usual sarcastic self, and from the faint crease on his forehead, Ray suspected that the man, for once, was truly concentrating to find an answer to his own riddle.

Too bad Ray was not going to wait for him to find it. He changed his God Arc into a its Gun form and ran to his right. He could not best him in a close combat in this condition, and so, for the time being, he could only rely on bullets and distraction.

Ray skidded to the right with his gun at level with Edric's chest.

Damn.

Too close. Too slow. Ray could see the brightening red orbs of his adversary glinted, reacting against his movement, then his hand was on his neck again. Haphazard images and thousands of voices assaulted his mind, flooding his head with a stream of information he could barely register.

Acting on pure instinct, Ray gritted his teeth, and managed to slash his blade upward to free himself.

Edric leapt back to dodge it. "Ferocious," he said, examining his hand that had gripped Ray. "What was that just now? Was it what you people call _the _Resonance?"

Bullets came toward Edric. They were shot from another side of the room, and despite not turning his head to see who had entered the battlefield, Ray managed to identify one of them easily.

He could hear Alisa's faint breathing as she inhaled, paused, shot, and exhaled. It was something he had picked with his damned-senses while travelling back to the Den with her: he had subconsciously made her presence underlined, the rythim of her breathing his comforter.

Moving in a speed and grace of a wolf, Edric dodged every bullet aimed at him with ease. "I can't believe you're not thanking me for this prowess," he said to Ray, his lips forming a smile the blond had associated with extra injections. "A little experiment, then." He dashed at Ray again, but before he came into contact with his God Arc, he slithered past him and jumped to the platform where Alisa and her group were.

_Damn._

Ray hissed as Edric locked himself in a close-combat with Alisa and Annette, knowing full well that he was playing easy on them just to test out whatever hypotheses he may have formed regarding the Resonance. The mutated scientist was fast enough to simply knock the two Gods Eaters out within seconds.

He kept them engaged instead: his clawed hands against their shields and blades.

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xx - 0 - xx

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14 – 09 – 2075 / 19:42:02

"So this is how it feels," said Edric in a low voice as he lashed, spun, and defended. Up close, one could notice how his face had lost its wrinkles and how his skin had paled, clearly showing the blue-and-purple veins underneath.

Alisa was desperately searching for an opening to distance herself from the mad man. She had witnessed his agility and the brutality of his strength, and without a doubt, she knew that no Gods Eaters had a chance to win against him in a tight close combat. But if keeping her feet planted to the solid metal was already a hard thing to do, then keeping her _mind _from detoriating was an impossible task.

Flashes of images, bits of memories, echoing murmurs, stings of anguish as well as foreign emotions were crippling her. Each contact they made resulted in a resonance, and she felt horribly sick. Humiliated. Nauseated to the core, even. More so at the prospect of the reversed effect of the memory-exchange.

What was he seeing? What part of her memories was he digging into?

As if reading her thoughts, Edric's smile broadened. "It's not nice to hide things from your elders, messenger. So my theory was right after all. You _are _of a special breed."

"You're sick," she spat as she spun and whipped her blade at him. Edric laughed. He dodged with a sidestep.

"Everything depends on perspectives," he said. "Even a murder could be justified in the case of defending oneself from harm." Again, he lunged at her, with a decreased speed to ensure that Alisa could properly defend herself. He was attempting to dig his hand into her shield for another contact.

The platform shook before that could happen. For a second, both of them lost their footing. Alisa reacted faster, though, and quickly jumped down before it crumbled to the ground below.

Soma had crushed the pillars supporting the platform with his buster blade, and now, was distancing himself the fallen Edric while motioning for the Gunners to open fire. Only Ray was charging in.

Their hands made a brief contact as they switched position.

Distraction. She needed to make an opening so Ray, and possibly Soma and the other close combatants, could dive in and impale Edric with their God Arcs.

Some of the bullets had pierced through Edric's body, but he landed on the ground effortlessly and was quick to shield himself behind one arm. Alisa could hear her comrades gasped in disbelief when they saw that his left arm had mutated: instead of smooth skin, ragged golden scales were covering his flesh; the nails had fully transformed into long, sharp claws. The arm was unlike what she'd seen before, but she could easily relate it to Lindow's right arm that had failed to transform back upon his homecoming. Only Edric's looked a lot sturdier.

"This is funny," the scientist murmured. He continued to walk toward them despite the rain of bullets, looking unaffected at all by the Gods Eaters' intense barrage. Whatever wound that had been inflicted upon his body was closing in an unbelievable rate: broken tissue and flesh were being regenerated, scales were slowly covering what was still left of his human body. "Up until now, I have never been a fan of alligators. To think that now I am transformed into one..."

"Getting all chit-chatty won't keep you human," hissed Soma. The tanned Gods Eater was dashing straight at Edric, ready for a cleave to chop the scientist's head.

The blade hit the floor. Edric had, again, slid away. "Ah, the son of Johannes Schicksal. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"More like a curse." The buster blade was dancing wildly, each movement was aimed either at the neck or the lower torso—the only parts that hadn't been fully covered by golden scales, though none managed to hit the flesh. "And I have no father."

Ray made a thrust at Edric's arm which resulted only in a tiny scratch that didn't even bleed. At this point, it was clear that piercing bullets were not going to make it through his armor, and so, Alisa and the other close combatants dashed to follow after Ray.

Edric seemed to have sensed their movements, and now turned to face Ray. He jumped at him with an incredible speed. The claws missed his neck only by a mere inch, but he charged again, doubling his speed this time, and successed.

Ray choked. "Stand down if you want to see him live," Edric said to the group.

Some of the Gods Eaters hesitated, but Alisa froze in place. Soma growled, but he too kept his feet rooted to the ground.

Sensing that their opponents had stilled, Edric's puppets stopped moving. And for once, the hall was silent.

"There are a few things I'd like to know from you," Edric said to Ray, lifting the former Gods Eater off the ground with one hand. Ray tried to free himself, but the grip on his neck was iron-tight. There was no way anybody could escape from it without having their necks squashed. "You won't have to answer. I'll search the answers myself through your memories. This... ability is kind of hard to control, isn't it? Tricky..." He brought Ray closer to him, his eyes boring into his. "...But not impossible to master."

Alisa tried not to panic at the sight of Ray's consciousness being sucked in by Edric. She focused on his voice that was echoing in her mind instead.

"_He would be distracted the moment his mind resonated with mine."_

Edric's fingers around Ray's neck tightened, and from where she stood, she could see his posture slightly relaxing: the muscles beneath the scales on his back contracting, his head tilting to one side. The Resonance, then, must have taken effect.

"_It might only be for two or three seconds..."_

Alisa dropped her God Arc. Her feet carried her forward in a run.

_But a split moment is all that we need._

Edric whipped his head to see her just a moment too late. She had the syringe injected on the bare skin of his neck. The same syringe which contained pale blue liquid she'd seen Ray using on himself before.

His jaw dropped a little, trying to form a word that she knew he was never going to say, then made a gurgling sound. The next second, his body went limp, and he staggered backward.

With his grip around Ray's neck loosening, the blond freed himself from the mutant and made a move for his God Arc. He stabbed it through his stomach.

"I'm testing my hypothesis," said Ray to the very still Edric. He released his God Arc and took a step back, face twisted in disgust and loathing. Soon after that, Edric fell to his knees, his arms hanging on his sides, his face as blank as a wall. "What will happen if the _new_ bias factor is inserted to a body that can produce the old one on its own?"

Then, Edric's breathing slowed, and his gaze was drained from whatever spark of life it had.


	26. Chapter 22: Trial and Revolution

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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_**A/N - 13th April 2013 : **Again I will use this chance to thank all of you who have bothered to read / follow / fave / review this story. Do know that I'm trying to reply to each Review, but what can I say, one has very limited time when college is torturing her with assignments. _

_I'm currently studying how to read body languages and gestures and I'm ready to jump off a cliff. Not to mention that I still have to practice counseling... (**PS**: Do not major in Psychology if you're not ready to risk, like, half of your sleeping hours. I'm practically a zombie now)._

_This chapter is the exact opposite of the previous one. _

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_Final Act - Part 5  
_

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**Chapter 22**

**Trial and Revolution**

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15 – 09 – 2075 / 20:41:09

Everything was engulfed in blackness.

Karen blinked twice and tried to move from her lying position, then immediately regretted it. Pain numbed her muscles and dissorted her thoughts, reminding her that some bullets had pierced through her body. Her boiling blood and the oracle cells had minimized the pain back then, but now the new bias factor's effect had waned, and thus the pain was almost unbearable.

She slowed her breathing, trying to cleanse her lungs and her mind. With a wince, she carefully rolled to one side before pulling herself into a sitting position. Uncomfortable and dizzy, it took three minutes of her staying motionless until she was certain she was not going to throw up.

Where was she?

Karen blinked a few more times the moment she was able to straighten up. Blurry images of what seemed to be an interior of a small room came into her view, but it was still a bit hard to tell, since she had her head spinning as if on a rocking ship—obviously the result from sleeping on the hard matress for who knows how long.

Wait, sleep?

Instinctively she clutched one hand to her side, and was rewarded with a razoring stab of pain that shot down her back. There were scars and wounds all over her body. Most were healing, thanks to her enhanced recovery rate, but she could still feel a pang of pain everytime she moved. She closed her eyes and replayed the last moment of consciousness her memory could supply and recalled everything.

Her being a bait. Max's betrayal. The order to shoot him down.

Cain's death.

Bitterness, hatred and fury bolted through her veins, minimizing the pain for a short moment before they withered away. Cain had been slain. That was a fact she had been prepared to accept ever since she had been thrown into the lab: anyone would die eventually, whether by choice or by force. But this... this meaningless death... this was one she had _not_ been prepared to accept. If anything, her being confined in a place she hardly knew meant that they had lost the battle against the Gods Eaters.

Yes. Lost. She squirmed at the thought.

It was the bitter truth: they had been defeated. There was no need to dig further, nor there was a need to grieve over it. A defeat was a defeat. Nothing could be changed by mourning either. The life she'd spent as a lab rat had, at least, taught her that. So, when guilt and anger plagued her, she was more puzzled than furious.

A faint sound of heavy metal door creaking open alerted her. She'd just noticed that she was being kept in a small chamber that had bars instead of plain wall. Another bitter fact that she was imprisoned. And the people who had just gotten in? They must be her captors: The Gods Eaters.

"She's awake," a male's voice sliced through the silence.

Karen tried to squint at the looming shadows coming into view. They stopped several feet across her bed and she deduced that there were three people standing behind the bars. She made no move.

Another voice said, "How are your wounds?"

Silence.

"Are you not willing to talk?"

Still, the same silence.

This time, came a grunt from the third person. "I told you this is a waste of time." His voice was heavy and distinctively colored with discontent leaning to malice. She remembered this one. He must be one of the few Fenrir lapdogs who had managed to keep their heads over their shoulders after trading blows with her kind.

The second person, who was seemingly older than his two companions, spoke again. "You should be thankful that the higher-ups have decided to spare you."

"Or are you just waiting for the right time to slice me up and see how I would react to your drugs?" she shot back, her voice sharp and crisp. These were the guys who had handed down one of their own to a group of mad men in order to simply gain some information. Max had always been a puzzle, but it didn't mean that no one had figured his history out.

"Now, now, there's no need to be sarcastic," replied the man. "You will be kept here for the time being, at least until we receive further notice from the Director. You, after all, are still guilty of mass murder."

"'Slaughter' would fit better," grunted the third figure.

Karen didn't try to speak again. She knew that retorting their statements could worsen her position, but even so, she had a hard time to control her bubbling anger at the notion of being kept imprisoned by _these _so-called protectors of humanity. Their arrogance really knew no bound, and that was clear from her delayed execution. What was it that they were going to seek this time? Information? Goods? Or were they simply going to see how long she would last? While running a few tests maybe?

Like hell she would let them do as they pleased.

"We'd better go, Gen," said the person to the man's right. He had a much softer voice compared to his two friends. "Marcus said he'd deal with this mess," he added before turning on his heels and stalked his way back to where he'd come from.

The one who had been called Gen said, "Don't try anything funny, Miss. This is not a warning; it's a threat." Before he made his way out of the room, he paused and looked at the very still figure who was yet to move. "You're coming, Soma?"

"In a minute. You guys go on ahead."

A shrug from the leaving man, then only one person remained in front of her cell. She couldn't see his face clearly—much to her annoyance since she knew she could have seen everything in this total darkness if it weren't for the bloodloss and injuries—but she knew that the man was assessing her closely. Only his hair was standing out: from what little light that peered through the slightly opened door at the end of the hallway, she could see how his short, white blond hair faintly reflected the dim glow.

"I have one question for you," his heavy voice filled the area. Karen stayed still, eyeing him wearily. "Why did you kill our men?"

Now _she_ was the one who held back a snort. "It was an order."

"And you just complied without any second thoughts?"

What was he trying to get from this pointless talk? Was he trying to lure her until she spilled some details that were missing from their database? "I didn't see any reasons not to comply," she said dryly. "And honestly, I think that was wise of them." He kept silent, so she continued. "You Gods Eaters are nothing but a bunch of fools. The Aragami are not our enemies."

"Who, then, do you label as your enemy?"

She lifted her chin in deviance and lowered her voice. "You said 'one question'..."

A quick intake of breath, then a 'hmph.' "Fine." He turned to walk his way out of the dungeon. Before he dissapeared from her view, he said, "I won't forgive you for the lives you've taken."

Then the heavy door clanked shut.

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xx - 0 - xx

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15 – 09 – 2075 / 21:08:22

At the news of the prisoner's condition, Sakaki raised his eyebrows. "You heard for yourself. It seems that she's doing just fine on her own."

Ray didn't respond with words, but Alisa could see his shoulders relaxed a bit, easing away the stiffness that had gripped them. Sakaki raised his hand to dismiss the messenger, and said to Ray, "And I trust that you still have some explaining to do?"

"No," Ray said. His eyes were dark and unreadable, and under the bright light of the meeting room—which served and seemed more like a court in this kind of situation—he looked downright menacing and a bit out of place in his dark coat.

Alisa was standing on the other side of the room where she'd been delivering her testimony over her actions and decisions prior to the events in Aegis.

Fifty four deaths. Almost a hundred were injured, and around a quarter of the residential sectors were inhabitable.

Those were the burdens she had to bear until the rest of her life. Those were the consequences she'd been willing to take: the loads she'd braced herself to carry. Though whether her shoulders would be strong enough to withold them without breaking under the pressure she didn't know and didn't dare to imagine just yet. All she knew that her actions had demanded sacrifices. There was no other name to it, no matter how Tsubaki had tried to elaborate how her actions had prevented the _whole_ area from being destroyed.

Half of the men in the room had questioned her relentlessly over the decision: 'What plans did you have in mind at that time?' 'Why did you not think of alerting the operator first?' 'How could you be sure that they were in Aegis?' and the worst of it all: 'Were you aware of what your actions might have done to the people?'

She had thought of the possibilities—of course, she had—but again, she had not been expecting a victory at that time. Her team had survived (only four people were seriously injured), and the intruders had been stopped. She and Ray were alive.

It was pretty selfish to think of people dear to her first and the others second. But sacrifices had to be made, and from the moment she had seen the total casualties, she knew she had yet again soaked her hands in blood.

"You do realize," said Sakaki after staying mute for a while, "that we are in no place to negotiate, don't you?"

Ray blinked very slowly, he looked calm yet assessing, even when there were thirty men staring down at him in a mix of fear, suspicion and hatred. Most of them must have been involved in whatever dark dealings Fenrir had to make behind the curtain. And, much to her irritation, some of them must have also been involved in _his_ case. Tsubaki was not likely to ever let her know any names, but she had guesses.

Realizing that he was not going to get any reply from Ray, the Doctor leaned back in his chair and ordered half of the men to leave the room. Some of them complied immediately, looking more than glad to escape the trial; most of them, though, narrowed their eyes at the Japanese before standing up, clearly not satisfied at the thought of being shooed away. All of them steered away from Ray as they walked out of the room.

"It's more private now," said Sakaki with a tiny smile. If she knew that smile better, it meant that this was probably going to be a really swift trial. The Doctor didn't like to linger on 'what ifs' and 'buts'; he was a scientist, and facts were all that mattered to him. "I'm sure I do not need to go all over the details of events in the past—" he gave Alisa a quick glance when saying this—"and you must know that not every decision falls upon us. But we _do _have a voice in Fenrir. The fact that you are not handcuffed here is already a guarantee from us—from _me,_" he corrected himself, "that we are not seeking another war with you and your kind."

Ray seemed to be thoughtful. "I do not mean anything to my kind," he said slowly, as if to let each word to sink into everyone's head. "Those who have fled are under no one's command, and truth to be told, I don't think they can survive in the wild for more than two weeks on their own."

"Ah. The new bias factor," Sakaki mused aloud. His voice was colored by curiosity. "Most intriguing, but let us get back to the main discussion, shall we." He leaned forward, his hands folded on the table. "I will also tell you one truth, then. The main reason why we have not thrown you into jail is because you have 'helped' the Gods Eaters in putting an end to this battle. But you switching side still incites questions; do know that we cannot trust a defect wholeheartedly in a matter of hours."

Ray was about to open his mouth to say something, but he decided against it. Instead he looked at Alisa. Sakaki nodded, then with an aplogetic smile, said to her, "Would you do us a favor?"

Alisa was puzzled at first, but after seeing the look Ray was giving her, she finally understood that her presence was no longer needed in the room. No longer _wanted_, to be precise. _He _didn't want her to hear whatever they were about to discuss. There would be more cover-ups.

More secrets.

More lies.

Her heart sank at this, but she tried not to let her dissapointment show and nodded instead. "I will take my leave," she quietly announced. She avoided Ray's eyes as she went towards the door.

* * *

xx - 0 - xx

* * *

15 – 09 – 2075 / 21:19:05

Tsubaki was the first one to speak her mind. "Are you sure about this?" she asked. The only eye that was not hidden behind her raven hair gleamed with sympathy for once. Her gaze drifted from Ray to the closed door. "She's been doing some research on her own after the raid. I can't promise any secrecy should she demands answers after this trial."

"It's fine," Ray said. "She will blame me and not Fenrir this way. Isn't that what you guys want in the first place?"

Sakaki chortled darkly as he shook his head. "I see your traps, Ray Maxwell. You're going to leave your fate in our hands so everything we say would snap back to us, aren't you?"

"A fine theory, Doctor," said Ray, not bothering to suppress the sneer in his voice. "But my game is less complex, really. I have a personal reason—a promise to a deceased friend I intend to keep, and that what propels me to live on. If you in any way are trying to snatch my life or freedom away from me, know that I will not stand still."

Tsubaki said, "But letting you roaming free is also out of the question."

Ray tilted his head in mock surprise. "Oh? I thought Fenrir has lost interest in me."

"This is a dangerous game you're playing, Ray," Sakaki warned. The Doctor fixed his glasses with one hand, a gesture that screamed his impatience. "What _is_ your intention?"

They were playing stupid, Ray thought, or simply trying to fish out some words from his own mouth to be used against him. "I've stated it plain and clear," he said in a lighter voice. "I live to fulfill a promise and nothing else. You must have heard of the medication required to keep me alive and sane, and so, do know that I can't do anything without a proper supply of the new bias factor. Even if I intended to cause trouble to Fenrir in the process, I'm sure I'd have no supporters." Which was a lie, since he knew some nations that would more than willing to help him should he went to them with a random Gods Eater's head. Fenrir had many enemies, though none had the power to stand up against the giant organization.

One of the remaining men spoke up. "Which is what, exactly?" He looked at Ray with undaunted eyes, and Ray thought that he'd seen his face somewhere—though he could not remember where or when. "I don't mean to pry into your personal business, but we are currently ordered to watch your every move, so..." He didn't finish his words.

"I'm searching for a person," Ray said after pondering all the probabilities. No, telling them wouldn't hurt, he decided. They would never be able to get in his way anyway, lest they wanted to risk one or two Gods Eaters in the process. "A child."

The man in suit who had spoken seemed to be genuinely taken aback. "Whatever for?"

Ray chose not to reply.

Before the silence could stretch any longer, Sakaki said, "And can I conclude that you will not let anyone stop you from going?"

"No as long as I still have a mind of my own."

The Doctor gave him a wry smile. "Even with your depleting supply?"

"Yes." The new bias factor he owned was not going to last more than one or two weeks, and even from the bags Fenrir had obtained from the dead bodies littering their base, he would not last longer than two months at best.

Another man in suit, with a slick black hair, said, "Are you seriously trying to make us believe that it is your _sole _purpose of defecting?" His voice was low and even, but Ray could hear the stir of annoyance in it. "How can we know that you are not a spy sent by them to—"

"James," Sakaki cut him off. "That's enough." The man called James glared at the Doctor but kept his mouth set in a thin line. Sakaki's grey eyes travelled back to look straight at Ray. "I'm in no position to press you and I won't. But suppose that we trust your motives enough to offer you a position... What would you say?"

"Director, that's—"

"There's no way—"

Sakaki held up a hand and all the protests died down like smoke vanishing into thin air. Only Tsubaki and a small number of people were calm enough to stay in their seats. Sakaki's eyes, though, remained fixed on Ray's.

"Is this an attempt of silencing me?" asked Ray, growing more cautious now. "Or are you simply trying to make up for your past mistakes?"

"Call it a bargain," said Sakaki. "We will do a research to keep your body and mind to yourself, and you will once again work for us. Of course, you may keep your promise—we'll let you go on your search when you're not working."

"You're not answering my question, Doctor."

"You can interpret it as you like," said Sakaki, a faint smile playing over his lips.

Ray scanned the faces before him, and found that almost everyone was just as wary as he was. The Doctor then must have not spoken about this with anyone. He'd intended for this to be a surprising blow; a taunt; a bait to see what kind of fish he'd get from the black water.

What a sick game. "I refuse," Ray said.

Sakaki had been prepared for that kind of answer, for he said, "Don't rush, now. I'm not speaking for Fenrir; but for this Branch. The deal with the ex-researchers... It was not entirely ours to make. But it is useless to make ourselves clean before you, and so, instead of trying to erase the stains, we're offering you a new paper." He paused, waiting for everyone to catch the meaning of his words. "You were an asset to us once. Even a blind man would not stumble over the same rock twice."

Things were getting a bit too unpredictable for his liking. Sure, he'd thought of this possibility before, but he hadn't been too sure that they would accept the idea. The Doctor must have said something before the meeting to wrap things up the way he wanted, or Tsubaki would not have kept silent like this. Either way, this was a trap: say yes and he'd officially be branded by Fenrir again, say no and he would expire within days. Sakaki must have foreseen this. He _must _have. Damn the Doctor and his wits.

Quietly, Ray said, "In case you haven't been informed, Doctor, I'm not a very trusting person. I have no reason to trust your words, even if you managed to develop the new bias factor." Which was likely not going to happen in mere days. The whitecoats, as far as he knew, had spent _months _of trial and error on it. "And I'm certainly not going to happily surrender myself to Fenrir." A pause, then in one breath, "_You cannot bind me_."

For half a minute, the only sound in the vast room was the nervous cracking of chairs. But whereas almost everyone was wearing a grim expression, Sakaki seemed... Ray couldn't quite interpret the look on his face. Amused? Triumphant? Careful? A mix of the three, it seemed.

He had stepped on a landmine.

"You do have a solution for the problem, don't you, Doctor?"

"Certainly. Our database, after all, still deems you D.O.W." The Doctor's voice was edged with amusement, sounding pleased with himself.

Just when Ray had begun to detest the man... It took a second for Ray to fix the expression he must have been wearing—disgust, plain and simple—and inclined his head to let Sakaki elaborate further. "It isn't necessary for you to share the same roof with us," the Japanese began, slightly emphasizing the word 'us' as if he'd just said 'murderers'. "I have a better offer than that." Slowly his head was turning to one side, his gaze shifting from Ray to a person seated at the far end of the U-shaped table, where a familiar figure went stiff in apprehension.

Ray recognized the blond young man as the Gods Eater he had encountered on the battlefield. He returned Sakaki's gaze with narrowing eyes. The young man was cautious, his eyes calculating. He must also be a victim of Sakaki's ploy. "So this is the reason why I was invited in," he finally said.

Sakaki shot an icy smile. "I thank you for your understanding, Captain Visconti."

"You're very much welcome, Director Paylor."

Ignoring the venom in the blond's voice, Sakaki was slow to break the staring contest with him before returning his attention to Ray. "Now... The choice is yours."

Ray cursed inwardly.


	27. ReChapter 4: Named

_**A/N - 2nd May**__** 2013 : **I am currently editing this story from Prologue for a better read (I'm only halfway done, though). _

_I want to thank you all again for reading and reviewing Memories of Brighter Days. I'll be nothing without you guys! __Schedule is a bit tight on me these days, but I'm trying to enjoy my days to the fullest. Hope you guys are also enjoying your time reading this story._

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A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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**Re - Chapter 4**

**{ Named }**

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? – ? – 2074 / 17:18:41

Red.

There was no mistaking of the color.

So rich, yet dark at the same time.

Staring back at him was a pair of dark red orbs that glinted under the vast room's blinding light.

Ray blinked once, trying to grasp the change. His reflection stared at him mutely. The same face he used to see in the bathroom every morning was almost unrecognizeable on the shiny metal surface of a pod: his short brown hair had grown longer with the ends sticking out. It curled slightly at the nape of his neck, and he could not tell whether the streaks of dark blonde was simply from the play of light or another side-effect of whatever mutation that had begun to corrupt his body.

When was the last time he'd seen himself on a mirror? Two months ago? Three? He had lost track of time, but the changes in his facial features were unexplainable. He looked as he'd aged three or four years since his awakening.

Had time passed that long without him knowing? Maybe yes. And then again, maybe not. How was he supposed to know—when all there it was for him were routine injections and medical checkups?

If not forced to sleep in a pod filled with blue liquid, Ray's time was usually spent in a small room where electrodes would be attached all over his body. Of course, he had learned to be obidient during the time of his isolation. Many questions were still running at the back of his mind—if he was conscious enough to think for himself, which rarely happened due to whatever substances they regularly injected to his veins—and he was, at least, determined to get some answers.

Answers would not come by defying.

And today was going to be his first chance at getting them. Or, at least that was what he thought.

Well, this was the first time they had let him out of his pod without any electrodes on. And besides, this room was somewhere he had never seen before. He had never been in here. The vast, white room seemed to go on forever. A trick of light, maybe? Or a visual reality program? Whatever it was, this was something _new_.

Standing near the gray door to one side of the room, Ray found himself lost in thoughts for the longest time since he'd found himself in the hands of these strangers. There were many pods lined up near the doorway, and he stood close to one, close enough to see his own reflection against the metal surface.

A movement brought him back to reality. The pod, the closest one to him, was beginning to sitr softly, a deep rumbling sound purring in the silence. Ray instinctively took some steps back when it slowly slid open. Familiar blue liquid spilled to the white floor, making Ray retreated further so it wouldn't reach his bare feet. More pods were opened. And to his horror, he finally realized that they contained _people_.

Were they, though?

From head to toe, they looked human enough. But one could never be too sure in a a place like this.

The first person—the one who had been kept in the pod Ray'd been staring at—opened his eyes slowly before stepping out of the container. He was a blond who seemed to be his early teens by looks and height. His hair was shorter than Ray's, but the eyes that were staring sharply at him were of the same red.

For some seconds, the two were simply standing there, frozen, staring at one another in open bewilderment and curiosity. The boy was looking at him as if he was an alien, and in turn, Ray regarded him with the same kind of wonder. Was he another test subject? Someone like him?

Before any of them could utter whatever questions they had in mind, the rest of the pods slid open, revealing men and women of various races and statures. Ray took some steps back yet again, feeling unsure of what this all could mean. The people in white stepped out of their pods. Their faces were blank, their movements sluggish. No one spoke.

A monotone voice came from a speaker, startling Ray. It said: "Battle Royale will begin in ten seconds. _Ten... Nine_..."

Most of the people in the room distanced themselves from one another, taking cautious steps as they stretched their limbs. The blond boy that had been staring at Ray averted his gaze and took some steps away from him. Battle Royale—?

"_Six... Five_..."

Everyone was standing paces away from one another now. Ray stood idly, bewildered. Some of the people were wearing a grim expression, while others were maintaining a blank look.

"Hey," he called out to the blond boy. "What's the meaning of this?" he asked in a low voice.

"_Four... Three_..."

The boy looked at him with an unreadable expression. There was definitely fear in his eyes. At the same time, the dark orbs also held some amount of ferocity and cold determination Ray had often seen in cornered beasts. The boy said nothing; his lips forming a depressed thin line.

"_Two... One..._"

"Hey—"

"_Zero._"

The boy lunged at Ray.

Having only a split second to react, Ray leapt back just in time to avoid the boy's attack. He was still recovering from the shock—his body had moved purely by instinct alone—when he realized that the blond boy was not planning on letting him go. With a deadly speed, he launched himself at Ray again.

"Wait—!"

The boy was not stopping, prompting Ray to move from his position. He caught the boy's left wrist with a flick of his hand, and he tried to wrestle him by dropping his weight over the boy's back. That was done in mere seconds, and since the boy was shorter and lighter than Ray, his struggle was in vain.

Ray was about to question his action when a person was launched at him from his side. Ray leapt back to dodge the flying body, then turned at the direction from where it came, and instantly made aware of what was happening in the room.

People were fighting. They were attacking each other with bare hands, trying their best to _kill _anyone who was within reach; blood was staining their white clothes and the metal floor; pained shouts and screams of rage the only voices in the chaotic room. Everywhere he looked he saw only grim faces and red eyes full with fury leaning to madness.

The blond boy whom Ray had pinned against the floor was now struggling to stand on his feet. He had been bloodied by another lab rat while Ray's attention was elsewhere. His left arm was no longer usable by the looks of it. The new attacker, a tall, bald man with only one eye, charged at the blond boy, his fist aimed at the weakened combatant.

Ray moved without thinking. He threw himself between the boy and the charging man, seized the man's extended arm in one movement, and used one of his feet to jump at the man's back—breaking the bald man's right arm. The man cried in pain as Ray dropped him to the ground.

"..._Troid_."

Ray snapped his head at the blond boy, who was looking at him with assessing eyes. "What?"

The blond curled up his hands into fists and pointed his chin stiffly at the people in the room. "_Troid_," he repeated.

At the familiar word and accent of the people from his homeland, Ray narrowed his eyes. "You speak Gaelic?" Ray inquired. The boy offered a small nod, so he asked, "_Cad é a tháinig eatarthu_?"

"_Bheith i do chónaí_."

The bald man who was still writhing in pain was trying to get up. Without warning, the boy quickly rushed to him. He plunged his hand into the man's neck. Blood splattered, and the bald man died instantly.

Ray could only stare at the boy, who was looking back wordlessly at him. He understood what his actions and words meant then: This was a battle where everyone was one's enemy. This was a battle in which one could only survive by eliminating the others. A battle designed to test one's raw strength and sheer determination to live.

A battle that only let the strongest to survive.

_Madness._

The boy tilted his head to one side, pondering, then said, "...Live." Before Ray could reply, he dashed away, engaging another boy who was busy combatting another combatant.

Ray had no time to muse. Another guy was running at him, his eyes fiery red, his sole intention to kill displayed in the open. Forcing down a snarl, Ray braced himself and assumed a fighting stance.

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xx - 0 - xx

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? – ? – 2074 / 19:25:01

Eversince Ray's first participation in the Battle Royale, he had grasped a pattern out of his new routine. The Battle was held every week—based on his assumptions alone since he could not trace time in the underground lab—or, at least, he knew that there were intervals between one Battle Royale and the next. Within these intervals, all of the remaining test subjects, old and new, were being treated privately in separated chambers and pods.

One interesting change that had also occured that his informal 'status' as an ace. Some of the lab rats had taken notice to the bandage on Ray's right wrist and had ganged up against him in the last two fights. Former Gods Eaters were rare down there, and as rare as they were, most of the combatants feared them. So far, there were only four people whose right wrists were bandaged; none of them had ever talked to one another. Ray was included. Words had failed him more than thrice in this hell, and he was determined not to waste his breath trying to console his attackers into surrendering anymore. He had almost been killed the last time he'd spared a person.

The Battle itself was a sick game to begin with. It seemed that the scientists were simply trying to test out how well the bodies of their test subjects reacted to a variety of chemicals. Would one's speed increase if I were to use this formula? Would human bodies react well to this new bias factor prototype we have developed? _Let's check it out_; A one-hour Battle to test out whatever theories and experiments they had conducted was the answer to their questions.

Now if only this new routine of his would present _him _with the answers he sought...

"You're good."

Ray stopped in his tracks and looked back. A person almost twice his size was standing behind him. He was a bulky man with dark skin and hair. He looked to be in his mid-forties, and there was this intimidating aura in the way that he moved and stood. Ray remembered this one fighter. Everyone did.

He was one of the most fearsome fighters who had also been ganged up whenever possible. Ray had never fought with him before, but knew that if he should, he would break a bone or two within seconds. Going to fight a man that size _without _a weapon was suicide.

"What say we make a team, eh?" the giant said.

Ray regarded him coldly. "For what ends?"

"You don't want to survive this chaos?" He shrugged his massive shoulders. Faintly, Ray could see unimaginable number of scars beneath the white fabric of his clothes. "Dunno about you, but I wanna live and see tomorrow. And two is always better than one, they say."

"Two is better than three, you mean," said another person who appeared behind the giant. He was a lean guy with tousled light brown hair. There was an air of arrogant confidence around him, and from the blood staining his hands, Ray could only deduce that he too was an experienced fighter. No one who had survived this long was a nobody. "Getting old makes one forget a friend so easily, huh?"

The gigantic man looked at his companion and smiled—an action that bared his with teeth against his dark skin, something that reminded Ray of a certain Aragami when it was trying to intimidate its enemies. "Yeah, I'm getting old," he said, nonchalant. "So," he returned his attention back to Ray, "what do you say?"

Now this was a difficult choice. He could say yes and be assured that he _might _survive a few more rounds (more likely by intimidation alone), or he could say no and continue everything as it had started. To be truthful, he hated the thought of leaving his back to someone—to _anyone_ in this god-forsaken place—but his needs to survive and gain some answers should come first.

He _had _to live. He had to find out the truth behind all this.

And going as a lone fighter in god knows how many more rounds of this Battle Royale could only present him with a slim chance of survival. Ray eyed the two figures standing before him with doubting eyes. "How do I know that I can trust you?"

The giant smiled. "Try us. Let's see if you can survive this round and the next with us fighting alongside you."

"And how do you know that we won't rip your neck while we're at it? Well, I'd say that you have to keep one eye glued on us until this all ends," supplied the shorter man with a grin.

Ray was silent for a moment. No, he wouldn't trust these guys. But at least he could try what they suggested: band up with them and see how far it would take him. He could always slip away whenever he felt necessary anyway. He'd seen those two from afar, had observed them in the previous rounds, and knew that he, at least, was more agile than they were.

"Fine," Ray said.

"A wise decision," the charcoal-skinned man said. "The name's Larg."

The lean guy was already out combatting several men at once, leaving Ray alone with the giant who had introduced himself as Larg. "That kid's called Cain," he said to Ray.

Ray stayed mute. Larg arched one eyebrow in a questioning manner. "Don't tell me you're amnesic," he said with a mocking expression.

Ray simply snorted in reply, and Larg chuckled—the sound deep and heavy.

They were soon interrupted by a group of combatants that formed a circle around them. Cain's assault had gained the others' attention, it seemed, and standing close to each other, Ray and Larg were soon branded as the group's new targets. "Let's show them that they're not the only ones who're ganging up, huh" said Larg as he slammed his fist into his palm, cracking his strong fingers.

The group began attacking, and soon, Ray was too busy handling them all at once to pay more attention to his surroundings. His eyes were always focused on Larg first and his adversaries second. But the giant seemed to be lost in his own business and paid no mind to his lingering stare—he'd kept his word, so far.

Most of the men in the assaulting group had been beaten when Cain joined Larg and Ray. "I think I've spotted someone interesting," said the brown haired man to his two partners. He dodged a punch aimed at him with ease and returned it with one of his own. "See that woman over there?"

Larg and Ray stole a glance to see a young woman with wavy brown hair some paces away from them. She was in the middle of battling three men who had cornered her. One look, and Ray knew that the trio didn't stand a chance against her. She was moving with this kind of agility and grace that could only belong to someone who had honed her skills in countless of battles. Further, she looked reserved and showed no hint of panic at all. He had to admire that. A supersoldier was nothing but a child were he to lose his cool in the middle of a battle.

"You want her to join us?" asked Larg.

"Why not? Just see how she fights; she'll be a valuable ally," Cain replied. "She's been fighting alone for quite some time, if I recall correctly."

"Fine by me. What say you, boy?"

Ray rolled his shoulders as he let his eyes drift back to his opponents. "Do whatever you want."

"Sweet." And Cain was off.

Engaging the rest of the group in a tight hand-to-hand combat, Ray was quick to notice who was the group's leader. He went straight to him, slithering past a few opponents who tried to block his way, and seized him by the neck. Time felt as it was frozen the moment he saw fear flickering in the red orbs, then Ray tightened his grip.

The alarm resounded then, indicating an end to today's battle. The remnants of the gang steered away from the duo, eyes burning with hatred and malice. Behind him, Ray could hear Larg whistling.

"It seems I was right to ally myself with you," he said.

They scanned the room brifely to memorize the faces of today's survivors and found Cain standing close to the woman with brown hair. They seemed to be talking, and since none of them were showing malicious intents towards one another, it was likely that Cain had succeeded in gaining her interest.

Ray, Larg and the other survivors were starting to walk back to where the pods were lined up. "Max. I'm calling you Max from now on," said Larg after wondering for a while.

Ray flicked his head. "What brings up the idea?"

"Your speed. It reminds me of an old friend of mine."

"Back in your military days?"

"How do you know I was a soldier?"

Ray rolled his eyes. "Anyone with functioning eyes can tell. So, this guy was the fastest in your squad or something?"

At that, Larg grinned like a Chesire cat. "No. It was my dog's name."

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xx - 0 - xx

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**_A/N : _**_Here's some translations for the Gaelic words used in this chapter._

_1. Fight_

_2. What caused them to fight? / What are these people fighting for?_

_3. To live / To survive._

_Correct me if I'm wrong._


	28. Chapter 23: Lost Time

A Gods Eater Burst / Gods Eater 2 fanfiction by Lushard.

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_**A/N - 2nd June 2013 : **I'm sorry for the long wait. And until you get bored of me, I will again and again say that I'm thankful to have such good readers as you are. Now sit back and enjoy the ending._

_The Epilogue is coming up next._

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**Chapter 23**

**Lost Time**

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17 – 09 – 2075 / 05:11:13

The soft hum of autumn breeze was one of Alisa's favorite melodies. The calming whisper of the wind was always accompanied with the coolness that seemed to be able to wash away any uncertain thoughts and bitter feelings. They were both soothing companions, and she had associated them with home. With assurance. Assurance that she, one of the few remaining humans who had survived the darkest of days, would still be granted some peace by mother nature.

The sun had not yet woken up from his slumber. The darkness of the night, though, were slowly being driven away by hundreds of tiny sparkles coming from the houses below. Freyja was a majestic sight in this early morning. Alisa had not grasped its features closely, but now, from up here on the overlooking deck, the looming black shadow that stood eerily still looked like a massive land predator lying in wait for its prey to come close. When looking at it from a distance, Alisa felt as if she was staring at a mythical beast. Imagining what the fortress was capable of other than housing Gods Eaters and carrying them across the land made her feel intimidated. There was a possibility that they had some type of anti-Aragami weapon installed.

Her observation of Freyja was cut short as she caught a movement in the shadows at the far end of the deck. The place was empty, as it usually was when the sun was nowhere to be found. She could only think of one person that must have the same idea as hers of a quiet place to go in this time of day.

That was the very reason why she came here in the first place.

After the negotiation with Sakaki and the higher-ups, Ray had been taken to the same fortress that stood before her now. No one was informed, everything about him and the Black Cloaks had been covered in a matter of hours. NORN would supply no information aside from the general knowledge that the public had known. Questions were unanswered, demands of information ignored, any contacts with the remnants of the Black Cloaks forbidden. Again, she was left with nothing.

But she wouldn't let everything end this way. No, not this time.

From the regular meetings, she, at least, knew when the BLOOD Unit would be leaving: which was today. That little information was enough for her.

Alisa walked to where Ray was with a pounding heart. She felt suddenly uncertain; uncertain of how his answers would be, how he would react, and most importantly, what was going to happen once he left. If her life had been turned upside down in just one month, then it was not impossible for it to succumb yet again into the pit of despair.

Ray must have sensed her coming near, and now he was slowly turning to her. Alisa paced slower.

"I imagined you would come," he said once they had faced one another. The play of light in the semi-darkness made his hair looked as if it had been showered with gold dust. Alisa could not read his expression—but this dark gleam in his eyes told her that he had prepared something in mind. He must have known that she wouldn't sit still without answers.

One end of Alisa's mouth twitched in a half-smile, but she said nothing. Her eyes fell to his left hand which was buried in his pocket. He had been branded—_re-_branded—by Fenrir. The black armlet on his wrist was an undeniable proof of his abnegation. His right wrist was wrapped by a wristband on where the first armlet had been, the dark cloth hiding a scar that would forever be there. Ray noticed her lingering stare and said, "I know you come for answers. You need not be so quiet."

Alisa turned her gaze to meet his. "If I ask," she began, "will you answer?"

"I may not be able to answer _everything. _But—_" _Ray paused to take a deep breath. "But I promise I will be honest with you. I must ask you first, though." He studied her for a second, as if searching for any concealed emotions beneath her mask of placidity. "Do you trust me?"

The orbs may not be the same in color as they once had been, but the way he was staring at her was the same. He was giving her the same look he would always wear whenever he was in doubt. The look that he would only wear when they were alone.

Alisa closed her eyes for a moment and opened them. "I _want _to trust you. I want to believe that you are still you…" She let out a rueful smile to combat the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. Her voice was barely a whisper. "I'm afraid I don't even know you anymore."

There were some parts, broken parts, inside of him that still pointed to the Ray she'd used to know. But parts were just… parts. Whenever she tried to reassemble them to complete the complete image of him, there would always be something that was missing. And even with an incomplete picture alone, she knew the image was not of him. At least not of the _old _him. Standing in front of him was a new Ray Maxwell with some old parts of his past self.

Should she be honest with herself, she would say that she was scared. Beyond scared. She'd lost him once. And now, she felt that she was about to lose him again—to a new side of him who was a stranger to her.

She'd thought this through the nights: of what would become of them, of what would happen after the battle with Edric, of all the possible _what ifs_. The more she thought of it, the more she was terrified of meeting him. It was very unreasonable and childish of her, but she couldn't deny the haunted feeling that was constantly nagging at the hollow of her heart.

Ray took a hesitant step forward, closing the gap between them as he reached out to touch her arm. Alisa tried not to squirm at his touch; his fingertips were cold against her skin. She was still staring into the dark red orbs, and there she could see that he did not expect this kind of question.

"_Who are you_?" she said, so quiet that even she doubted whether she'd spoken the question in her head aloud or not.

Ray didn't avert his gaze, though he seemed to be having trouble wording his answer. If her words had hurt him, he didn't let it show. There was only open confusion and struggle in his eyes. "I'm still me," he finally said. The hand that was on Alisa's arm tightened a bit. "I want to be, no matter how impossible and unbelievable that is."

"What are you striving for?" Alisa asked. "I've had a glimpse of your thoughts when I came in contact with my God Arc…" But every thought had been so distorted she hadn't been able to comprehend a single thing. She knew he'd done it for a reason, and she could sense a mixture of both pain and longing in the storm of emotions. A sparkle of rekindled hope. A dim light at the far end of a dark tunnel. "I want to know, for sure this time, if _my_ hope and wish are not misplaced." She was unmoving, too afraid of what reactions would it elicit from him should she did. "I want to know if I can trust your words."

Ray was silent for some seconds, and each of Alisa's heartbeat was getting painfully stronger in each passing second. Then, very slowly, he took her other arm. His hold on her was lacking firmness, but the gesture alone had already implied many things. "I would be lying if I said that atonement is what I seek. I can never undo things in the past, but when I was being sucked by the core of your God Arc, I was made aware of one thing: that humans can live without hope, but never the other way around."

Not the other way around…? What was he trying to say?

"I realized then that I still want to hope… And in order to seize that light, I would have to live." He fell silent. The emotions that were swirling in his eyes were open for Alisa to see and interpret. Then in one breath, he continued, "_It's you_."

Her heart almost skipped a beat. Alisa blinked once, trying to make sense out of his words, but the eyes that were looking straight at her were so naked to his feelings and his own confusion that it stung hers.

"I wanted—I _want _to answer to yours." Without waiting for a reply, he slid his hands down to hers and held them. Again, his grip was light; he was allowing her to back down, to plead for more time to think, to shake him off. He closed his eyes as he spoke. "I've been blinded by my own suffering and pain that I dismissed everyone's. I allowed myself to see the world only from the underground prison I'd been kept in. When the core sucked me in, it was then I let myself to squint at the light I'd been so scared of."

Alisa ducked her head this time, overcome by his deep stare. A lump suddenly settled in her throat.

"I understand if you don't trust me," Ray said. "Even _I _don't even know what is happening within me anymore, so no, I'm not asking you to trust in someone—in things you don't understand. But this one thing I do understand, is that I want to live." His eyes trailed down to the black armlet on his wrist, and for a split moment, he let his disgust and anger show. "Even if it means obliging these broken rules."

"And that was the reason why you kicked me out at the meeting?"

His entire face tightened as he stared back at her. "No."

Ray didn't elaborate further for she already knew what he meant. He didn't want her to be involved in whatever decision that was and was going to be taken. She would become the strings had she stayed in that meeting—strings of a puppet called Max. Fenrir would always try to control its subjects, and neither of them could do anything to escape its clutch.

"It is my turn to return the question now," she whispered. "Do you trust me?"

The look on his face softened though his eyes slightly darkened. Was she imagining it, or did she really see him hesitating a second before he said 'yes'?

"Then don't leave me in the dark anymore."

"You're—"

"If you do trust me, then you will let me have a say," she cut in. Her tone and voice were gentle but she had poured a good amount of will and firmness in her words. "Live for your wishes, Ray. Not for mine, or anyone's."

The look on his face was troubled, but he was standing statue-still.

"Live for your own wishes and ideals," she said, gripping his hands in a light squeeze. "I have never expected you to live for my sake—and I will never. I won't be your cage." She shook her head, blinking back tears of frustation. "This... Whatever this... resolution or realization that has brought you here mean nothing to me unless you're you."

Ray took everything in as if every word she'd said was a stab of the same needles that had pierced his skin. He looked wounded; angry. "So you're saying that you want me to go back to the old me and retrieve my naivety? I thought you understand what does it mean to have the truth reveal the errors in you."

"That's not it. I just—" she came into an abrupt pause. She felt sick all of a sudden. She glanced down to their entwined hands and slowly withdrew hers. "I don't want to be your cage."

By now Ray was clearly infuriated. He reseized her in a move both graceful and violent, and pined her against the railing; his eyes a set of dark flames, his long arms imprisoning her on both sides. Alisa gasped softly as the back of her waist hit the cold bars.

"Don't you see what I'm risking?" he said through clenched teeth. His face was achingly close, being only centimeters away from Alisa's. "I thought I have lost all sense of right and wrong, and that may still be true. But I know what I'm doing. I know that the only thing that pushed me to crawl out from the pit of misery was the thought of you." A sharp intake of breath and his anger waned. "Alisa, please..."

At the pleading eyes that were boring into hers, Alisa's eyes welled up with tears, which refused to be contained this time. As warm tears flowed down her cheeks, she could feel the thin ice below her feet cracking, endangering her, threatening her resolve to sink into the darkness. To sink into him.

It felt so natural to melt into his will, to reach out to touch his cheek and draw him an inch closer, to tell him that she too desired the same thing. But a rush of memories and emotions came flooding her mind, knocking the sweet delusion of hers away.

"I don't want to be your cage, Ray. I may have selfishly thought of it in the past, but I won't repeat the same mistake. I did what I did to bring you back to _life_, not pushing you into another prison. You're a person of your own." She brought her hand up, the tips of her fingers touching the cold skin of his cheek. "No one should put you in chains anymore. Not Fenrir, not me."

The sun had begun to rise up on the horizon, basking the world around them with the slightest touch of gold, lighting the sky in a daze of dark blue and purple. The cast of golden light fell on his hair; but whereas on his hair the light managed to lighten the blonde locks, on the red orbs it only succeeded partially. If he'd assumed a wounded look before, now whatever trace of emotion had gone from his face.

He leaned back very slowly, but without withdrawing his hands that were resting on the railing. "If that's what you want, then I will repsect it," he said. The soft purring of engine coming into life was airing. The Freyja. Ray looked at the moving fortress below them then stared back at Alisa. "Before I go," he began, "I want to thank you for everything you've done. Do know that I feel grateful for your act of compassion, and that I hold nothing against you or your parents anymore."

Alisa wiped the dry tears from her cheeks with the back of her gloved hand, managing a small nod. Before she could form a reply, Ray cupped her chin and tilted her face up so he could look into her eyes. His expression was softening, though it still remained guarded. "Perhaps... Perhaps we can meet again. And by then, I hope we would be able to answer to each other the way we want it to."

"Perhaps."

Ray skimmed his hand over her shoulder—where she'd been shot before the battle at Aegis. "Your wounds. Are they healed?"

Alisa summoned a smile, knowing that this was how he would express his grief and ask for forgiveness. "They are healing," she said.

"Good."

Then Ray drew her closer and bent his head, so their foreheads touched. Alisa closed her eyes, letting her longing resurface in that one simple contact.

None of them spoke. In the differing thoughts and ways that had changed the gravity between them, this short, wordless moment was a tiny oasis of a shared understanding. No words needed to be spoken. They were simply too much for a fragile moment like these.

Ray gathered her toward him, and Alisa didn't protest. She knew whatever objection she would voice would be halfhearted as the moment pointed to the same thing they could both see from where they stood. He asked her, then, with his eyes, to bid his farewell. Alisa tilted her head slightly in reply.

He bridged the gap between them, his lips a sweet, ghostly brush against hers. The kiss was careful and hesitant, the way one might touch a frightened child.

Ray paused just a moment, sensing her quivering lips, then he dove in again, kissing her deeper with one arm encircled around her waist like a steel band. This time, he wasn't showing any intentions of giving her room to back down.

Whatever sane thought was left within Alisa was begging for him to stop, for _her _to break free; but the rest of her weren't listening. Her lips parted even before she even realized it, welcoming the pressure as if desperate to have his touch imprinted. Then it was all gone. All the confusion, the fog and clouds; they were all dissipating.

She knew what this was: a mere mirage of what they were hoping for, a sweet distraction. Because after all this, they were still going to part their ways with no guarantee that they would find another oasis.

But those thoughts could wait.

For one brief moment, she could be sure that he was here. That he was alive. Their mingled breaths were a trophy of assurance of what had not been entirely lost.


End file.
